/ot/ - off-topic

>What kind of animals do you have/want?
Cat or dog depending on my schedule in the future, had both so I'm fairly experienced
>What kind of activities do you do with them?
Snuggle, play, walk, sleep
>What are some products you swear by?
Kong ball for dogs, it's just endless fun for them especially when they're clumsy. For cats I genuinely don't know, I had one a long time ago and she was really docile.
>What pet decisions do you consider extremely irresponsible?
Getting a pet you can't possibly take care of, treating it as your accessory, letting it shit and piss all over the place, accumulating pets like pokemon.

I can't get a pet now because I don't have a permanent place of residence and I'm a busy student but one day.

>rant about irresponsible pet owners

American rat moms. Garlic water really helps with tumors!

So, I have a medium sized 3yo doggo, healthy etc. he’s lately been expressing odd behaviors where he humps my leg(ONLY mine, nothing else) he’s being stubborn and won’t listen sometimes(he’s been trained since he was a puppy). Basically he’s being a teen with an attitude problems.

My question, is neutering recommended?
I haven’t got it done before since he’s been well behaved and I’ve deemed it unseccesary. I keep going back and forth since I think I can give him more training but also might as well get him neutered since he probs won’t have kids. Idk anons, is it truly necessary? Will it help?
I’d be happy to read yall’s experiences.

>>236170
Neutering can help but it doesn’t always completely stop the humping. It can however help curb aggressive/territorial behaviors, and eliminate future problems like testicular cancer. It’s better to do it while their young too! Less chance for complications.

>>236170
The benefits of neutering a dog aren't worth it imo. They become lazy and weight sticks to them. If he's already showing the behaviour neutering won't make it go away.

Everytime he goes to hump your leg, get up and walk away, no eye contact or speaking to him. If he follows you and continues to do it while you're walking knock him away (gently) with your leg and continue to ignore him. Some dogs will do anything for attention, negative or positive, so by ignoring him it just makes leg humping really boring for him.

>>236200
>>236170

Samefag but here's a page on neutering - there's alot of misinformation out there about it being a quick fix that prevents cancer and straightens out behaviour problems. Removing a perfectly healthy part of a dog's anatomy is unnecessary and can cause alot of problems down the line. It can also cause undesirable behaviours.

https://www.dogsfirst.ie/health-issues/dog-neutering/

>>236124
Lollll rats fucking suck. I had them for a couple years. Everyone's I've met and my own would piss constantly. That wouldn't annoy me but everyones like ~UWU PRECIOUS BABIES R SO CLEAN~ Just STOP. They are NOT CLEAN just because they groom themselves. They live in their waste, whether they have a litter box or not. They're literally ingesting the urine they put on their bodies, which you get with those fawned after ratty kissez and they put it over all of your stuff. Not to mention the fact they are dump cannons.

>>236200
It really depends on the dog. My Cavalier was born with one testicle and the vet said he'd have to get neutered when he turns 1 if it doesn't drop by then. We had him fixed and he stayed his old chipper self, never gained weight, never had any major issues.
I'd suggest asking a professional instead of making this decision yourself.

I have 2 cats right now, a 17 year old calico and a 2 year old short hair mixed. The Calico we actually took in from a friend who was trying to get rid of her, absolutely no way she would have survived otherwise. The 2 year-old we adopted at 8 weeks.

The two get along well enough, considering the older one's temperament, it's a rare treat when the old one isn't fussy and will let the 2 year old sit next to her. But otherwise they thankfully don't fight.

I'm a little sad because the older one is really starting to show her age. I had a 22 year old cat before that and I can just see it now in her.

>>236277
that's sad anon i'm sorry ): it's still amazing your cats live to be so old! do you have any tips to give your cat a long happy life?

>>236200
As someone who worked in a vet's office, spaying/neutering definitely without a doubt lessens your chances of cancer significantly, especially with females. I know you linked a page disagreeing with that fact, but there's countless other articles that support it, not to mention the experience of pretty much anyone who has worked in any kind of vet office. Yeah, a dog who is snipped can still get cancer, but their chances of getting certain kinds are abysmal compared to ones who aren't.

Also, laziness after snipping can usually be helped a lot by forcing them into an exercise routine.

What are y'alls thoughts on people getting purebreds from reputable breeders?

>>236305
i am personally against it. all three of my current dogs and my childhood dog were from the humane society and they're all amazing dogs with little to no health problems (our smaller one has a few allergies but that's it).


why spend a couple hundred dollars on a breeder dog when you can get an adorable mutt for less than $100 while saving an animal's life?

i get people who get hypo-allergenic dogs specifically for that reason, but other than that i think that 'pure bred' breeders open way for puppymills and neglect within the breeding process.

>>236305
to add–reputable breeders are hard to find amongst the dozens upon dozens that are not reputable. if you're dead set on a purebred, do your research and check out the health problems that purebred dogs may develop.

I have a pueblan milk snake named Twizzer. He’s around a year old and he’s very calm and has never struck at me. He doesn’t mind being picked up and eats like a champ!! I love snakes a bunch, it would be amazing to own a Cape Coral Cobra but they’re venomous and illegal where I live.

I also just adopted a 6 year old short hair tuxedo cat in December. She’s very very shy and fat. We put her on a diet and now she’s lost some weight and hangs around with me in the mornings. When it’s late enough into the night she will leave her hiding spot (my closet) and meow at me and my bf to go to bed so she can get some pets/cuddles. It’s so neat to see how comfortable she’s gotten with us since December :^)

Does anyone own exotic animals? I’d love to own some more snakes and a couple of insects

>>236336

sorry for the total blogpost, but…

i mean i wouldn't consider him exotic, but my mom bought my brother a bearded dragon for his birthday in like, 2005, and that little guy became my mom's buddy and would just hang out on her shoulders and stuff. he ended up being her lizard more than my brothers. :'^)

then we bought this "lizard bedding" because he didn't like the other stuff we had and it ended up being fucking seeds of something. turns out whenever he got his crickets or bloodworms, he'd pick up some of the seed and ingest it. came home one day and mom was crying because it ended up growing in him and killing him. little guy was almost 9. we tried a lawsuit against the company who produced it and the place that sold it to us but they didn't go very far. he was such a cool lizard though–once i'm in my own place i'll probably try getting another one. (and i'll do more research on bedding.)

>>236343
He had a happy home and a long life! That's the important thing.

What a shitty company…so irresponsible

Reviving this thread.

I feed my dogs a brand called Freshpet. It’s preservative free, yadda yadda. I’ve been using it since I got them about a year ago. Someone on TND thread said grain free etc is basically a trend and not proven. Everything else I’ve seen and been led to believe is pro this style of feeding. It’s not raw, but “gently cooked.” We didn’t go into it on that thread cause it was too off topic.

What do you all think? Is the high moisture, grain free, preservative free, shit the good stuff? Or have I just bought into propaganda? What do you feed your dogs? Any freshpe-type brands you like?

Obviously I’m not gonna change their diet based on some internet opinions but I’m still interested to hear people out. I feel like they’re doing really well with their freshpet but they’re my first dogs so I don’t have anything to compare it to. At the shelter, they had been fed science diet dry food.

I also give them omega 3/6 oil and probiotics cause they’re middle aged rescues. These were vet recommended so I feel confident in it. My vet swears by omega oils. Any other must have supplements that aren’t alternative bs?

>>241012
My dog has a very sensitive stomach, luckily vegan pet owners, "x-free" etc aren't very numerous in my corner of the world but there are some options in the pet shop that we were advised to take.
Can't say if it's bullshit or not for sure (I think so), but the only thing that mattered for us was grains and the type of preservatives used. Preservative-free just sounds like a terrible idea, especially for kibble bought in bulk. Also where I'm from preservatives are condoms so that was a weird sentence to write lol.

>>241015
Oh and I forgot to add, for supplements we added fish oil as well, but no probiotics or anything else.

>>241015

Haha yeah they’re not bought bulk or kibble. It’s kept in the fridge and only lasts a week.

how do grains affect your dog?

I’d never do vegan, I can’t believe people actually do that. Have you seen the vegan fox posts going around? :(

Which brand of food do you buy for your cat?
I read about some major brands like Whiskas and Hills causing all sorts of serious problems with kidneys, heart and so on, so now I'm a little worried.
Currently, I feed her Cat Chow and Pro Plan mainly but I also treat her with premium cat food when I can and when she feels like it.
I just want what's best for her. She's been with me through a lot of stuff and she helped me with depression.

>>241021
been doing merrick. my old girly is a senior and merrick has tons of pate style foods that she can eat since she lost many teeth cause of her old owners. they do cat and dog food, grain free, they even have some nice freeze dried 'raw' varieties if your kitty is into that.

>>241019
They give him really bad diarrhoeia, surprisingly enough rice isn't the issue in small quantities. The Brit brand has been a good choice so far.

And no, I haven't heard of that! Sounds terrible, what was it about, did owners feed their pet fox vegan food and it died?

>>241021

I’d recommend you stick primarily to wet food. Dry food can cause dehydration and liver issues. Some dry food or treats is okay if you’re worried about teeth cleaning (mild abrasive nature of dry food helps a little) or packing in calories. As for brand, I recommend you read the ingredient lists on each product.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C6HRBbHLFDs

This is a good place to start if you want to recognize harmful ingredients

https://www.petsafe.net/learn/pet-food-the-good-the-bad-and-the-healthy

I recently adopted a kitten. My older cat kinda hates her, how do I make them like each other? I tried giving treats while they stare at each other and so far hasn't worked much, at least they don't hiss at each other anymore.

>>241058

have you done the sock/brush technique? Try to blend their scents together.

It can take awhile for cats to grow accustomed to each other. Make sure they have at least their own litter boxes so they don't get territorial.

>>241066
I have two litter boxes yeah, but they are sharing both already because the older cat doesn't care about it and he has shared litter box with other cats already (he used to share it with my mother's cats when I lived with her)

>>241025
Shame I don't have it available in my country. I'll keep a close eye on it and maybe even order it from Amazon if I can. Though I tried with other grain free cat food like Carnilove and she doesn't like it even when I gradually introduce it to her. Maybe I have to be more persistent.

> they even have some nice freeze dried 'raw' varieties if your kitty is into that.

Oh yes, she's really into that. As soon as she hears the treat getting unwrapped she jumps straight onto the kitchen counter :3

> she can eat since she lost many teeth cause of her old owners

Christ! What happened?

>>241031
> I’d recommend you stick primarily to wet food.

That's what I try to do but sometimes she goes through these longer phases when she prefers dry food over the wet one. And heavens knows I do my best in buying diversified wet food, pate even cat soups.

Thanks for the links, the petsafe link is not working for me for some reason but the YT vid was great. And I'm aware of the hazardous list for cats.

>>236170
>mother's pupper started freaking out when old doggo was in heat
>balls got genocided.jpg
>now he pisses himself everytime he gets excited
>year later he is back to random humping and still freaks out when other doggos are in heat

>grandparents neuter new dog just because old dog was too active for them
>his bladder leaks everytime it reaches a certain level

Neutering, not even once.

>>241634
>year later he is back to random humping and still freaks out when other doggos are in heat

That's bad training.

>grandparents neuter new dog just because old dog was too active for them
>his bladder leaks everytime it reaches a certain level

Yeah when dogs need to piss, if you wait too long, they'll leak. If their old dog was too active for them, they shouldn't have god another dog. Sounds like he needs to go outside more before it reaches a "certain level."

>Neutering, not even once.

Neutering is extremely useful and beneficial. There's a reason its widely done.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet

I just want to throw out there that I've had about fifteen animals throughout my life and never had any complications occur from neutering/spaying. One cat did gain a lot of weight, but we just altered her diet as the vet recommended and she was fine after.

I did however have one cat that we didn't spay and she got pregnant almost every fucking year. She ended up almost dying from her last litter and we finally spayed her. My grandma also had a dog she didn't spay ~just in case~ she decided to breed her. She died horrifically of a uterine infection that the vet flat out said wouldn't have happened had she been spayed.

So yeah, spay and neuter your fucking animals. There's a reason almost every vet suggests it and pretty much every animal shelter with decent funding doesn't even give you the option and just does it anyway. Yeah, there's a miniscule chance of complications, but the shit that goes wrong if you don't do it far outweighs them. Not to mention there's already a tragic amount of dog and especially cat overpopulation, willfully contributing to it makes you irresponsible AF.

>>241664
Spaying always scares me on my dog tbh, mostly because everyone I know who got their animals spayed before their animals became extremely fat and vicious, but shes an inside dog and doesn't really have contact with male dogs except for my mom's dog whos still a puppy

>>241738
Fatness you can help by altering their diet and getting them more exercise. As for viciousness, that's weird because it generally helps a lot with temperament.

The one girl I know who spends a lot of time on lolcow got a corgi for the aesthetic. I feel kind of bad for her because she’s always alone and has no friends but the corgi looks happy which is cute.

Anyone with houserabbit experience? We've been boarding a lot of rabbits lately at my work and they're stealing my heart, but I've heard a lot of mixed things about houserabbits.

>>242111
litter train them.
give them a bunny proof room (no wires or shit to chew, loud sudden noises, etc.
always leave them access to their cage for both food and a sense of safety
want and expect a cute bouncy ball that acts like a puppy to follow you around everywhere
please please learn how to pick up and hold it, the rabbit squeal is pretty terrifying.
rabbits need lots of space, food and attention so just make sure to have that and you'll have an easy furry friend in no time!

My bun, waffles, lives in my spare room and has plenty of space to move around and play!

sorry if I wasn't much help!

>>242426
how does litter training work? is it really as easy as putting g hay in it and sticking it in the corner they shit the most?

some of the bunnies we've been watching are perfectly trained and sit in their boxes all day, but others, usually the more active ones, poop and pee everywhere.

>>242432
>http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-care/litter-training-your-pet-rabbit/

This is a good article, it explains how to basically guide your bunny into using the box and why they'd pee elsewhere/how to fix it. Also, I forgot to mention neuter/spaying, make sure to get it done, it's annoying for you and also dangerous for the rabbit if it's not.

>>242438
Thanks. Did you get your rabbit as a baby or an adult? I'd like to rescue one but I'm told if you raise them right as babies they're more affectionate.

Are Petco training classes any good?

>>242811
I’ve heard mixed things and that it depends on the location. Are you looking to do a puppy kindergarten or basic obedience?

>>242825

leash training for my middle-aged chihuahua, he's really aggressive against bikes and people.

>>242827
If they have any classes focused on reactivity, it could be a good fit. If not, I recommend looking for a trainer who specializes in reactive dogs. (Reactive != aggressive btw—my dog can get leash reactive, too.)

My dog’s best friend became reactive (especially on leash) after getting attacked and it took a few months of training before he became comfortable around unfamiliar dogs again.

>>242836

Thanks for your reply!

He’s getting a lot better but when I first adopted him, he’d semi-attack anyone who entered my house. He’d bite at their shoes and go mental barking and scratching their legs. Now he barks but then jumps and play nips. He’s not food motivated, so instead I would give whoever entered a toy to play with him. I had basically all of my friends and family come over consistently so he would get used to them, and months later, it seems to have worked. He now gets super excited when they come over and runs to his toy bin. He gets annoyed really easily with children, still, but only when they’re being annoying to be fair.

It’s just walks I’m still struggling with. Maybe it is just leash reactivity and the territorial house issue was separate. I want to do more serious training now he’s decompressed and settled in but I don’t want to put him in a stressful situation or learn bad advice. Or maybe I’m just being impatient and I need to just be consistent and give him time to get used to our daily walks.

I don’t know what his past situation was but he’s a very strange dog in some other ways. If I give him a treat, he runs away with it and burries it in his blanket. He doesn’t like new toys, and will only recognize the toys I get him after my other dog has already slobbered all over them. I had to give my other dog eye drops and he lost his shit barking. I struggled at first finding dog food he’d eat, he’s so picky. But he loves “human food” and begs whenever I eat anything, even food I assume dogs wouldn’t like at all. He eats toilet paper and tries to scavenge in the trash to the point he can’t be left alone with any. He’s jumped up to knock over my cup of coffee and even lapped some up before I chased him off. Why coffee?? He’s such a weirdo. And there’s some other strange things he does that make me wonder what life he had before.

>>242460
Sorry anon! I got mine as a baby. I think that you can get them either way and get affection but getting an adult is more difficult since they will try to assert dominance over you.

I'm moving to Europe in a few months and am super stressed out about taking my cat. She's a rehabilitated feral and I have no idea how she's going to handle being on a plane. I've also heard horror stories about animals dying during plane travel and I need to do some research to see what the safest way to transport her is.

>>243108
Hey! I live in Europe and have friends who have successfully moved pets back and forth from the states using Lufthansa. Check out their services?

>>242971
At least you’re working with your pup and trying to find a solution! So many people don’t try to socialize or train their small dogs and think it’s “cute” when the small dog exhibits any kind of reactive behavior or aggression.

Just hang in there! My friend’s dog was so nervous and would bark/snarl/go berserk any time another male dog was nearby because he was so afraid. After a couple of months with a local trainer who specializes in reactive dogs, he’s so much better. We went to a pet expo this past weekend (soooo many dogs—and so many of the breed of dog that attacked him, cause they’re a native breed) and he was SO good. He only barked at two dogs in three hours (which is impressive—he would have barked at most of them a few months ago) and was very easy to get back on track.

Apologies for the long post but I didn't feel like writing out a bunch of new replies
>>236170
Neutering may help with humping, but there's also a chance it won't if it's not sexual frustration humping. Dogs hump for many reasons, sometimes just for fun! I know, fyl. What neutering will do is get rid of your dog's ability to produce testosterone. It's recommended that if you do neuter, it's done once the dog is done growing. this can be as young as 8 months for very small breeds or as old as 2 years for giant dogs like cane corsos and danes. What you SHOULDN'T do is get your dog fixed because you think it will change their character, because it won't. If your dog is high energy for example and humping as an outlet, fixing will not help it. I would suggest trying training first like in >>236200 to see if that changes anything, as it very well could just be behavioral and not hormonal. I've seen probably hundreds of dogs now before and after getting fixed, and besides the first few days (weeks for females as it's more complicated procedure), they are completely back to themselves and owners get upset that their dog didn't 'calm down'. If you are looking for alternatives, you are in luck. Zeutering is becoming more popular and so is tube tying, both practices leave the dog's hormones intact but unable to reproduce. there may still be some bullets in the chamber though if you know what I mean. If you aren't looking to breed, you feel confident you can keep your dog from breeding, you don't care about bringing the dog to 'dog-friendly' events and such, there's no high risk of your dog getting out or a bitch getting in, then there's no reproductive reason to get the animal fixed. However, I highly urge anyone with young kids to neuter all male dogs in the house at least. It's something like 80-90% of fatal dog attacks happen with an intact dog, most of which are males.
>>236200
The weight sticks because their bodies are no longer working towards shagging. Once you get rid of the hormones that largely controls their want to reproduce, on a molecular level they can sort of 'relax', they don't need to work as hard. It's sort of similar to BC pills, or a better way to put it would be like menopause. Your dog shouldn't actually be getting lazier, and they don't neccisarily want to eat more, but they are requiring less energy so more of it can be stored as fat for reserves. Of course, this is not the case for all dogs; most dogs see such little change as far as ATP production that no weight change is really noticeable.
>>236124
IDK what the rules are on gore here but I have a picture of a rat with a tumor that is actually bigger than the rat. The owner named it 'Brain'….
>>236305
So long as it is indeed reputable I am OK with it. It's just very difficult to find breeders who are good. Any breeds in mind?
>>241012
Some of it IMO is just advertising bullshit, but that brand seems to be on average very high quality food. Anyone saying they aren't fairly high quality are just objectively wrong and probably mad that they play the advertising game. I have never read anywhere whether it's better to feed wet vs dry. Preservative free is mostly a scam, doesn't usually matter unless that specific preservative may be harmful (usually isn't). Grain free is technically not a scam, but a bit of certain grains isn't really bad for your dog either unlike in cats where grains easily cause obesity.
This site is super helpful not just for looking at new dog foods, but learning what the ingredients actually mean. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
>>241021
I haven't heard about heart issues! But all dry foods are liable to cause kidney and liver issues - cats get most of their water in their food, so when their food doesn't have water they run on slightly dehydrated which causes issues. If you want to do the best for your cat on a budget, I'd recommend anything that's a wet food over dry (excluding fancy feast). If you have the cash to drop, take a look at ingredients! As much named meat and as few grains as you can find. I feed BB dry right now because my cats are carb addicted and keep winning hunger strikes when I try even slowly switching them to wet. Dry was a mistake.
>>241058
Read into cat-cat introductions, you may have to separate the two for right now and slowly introduce them. Also scent swapping! Make them smell like each other. How can you get mad at something that smells like you? You can try feliway, it's expensive and it's a hit and miss whether a cat will actually be affected by it, but when it does work it works really well.
>>241634
>bladder leaks
This should be incredibly worrisome… Neutering has not shown any connections with bladder leakage. The only associations that have been made was with pediatric spays. You should bring the dog to the same vet and explain the issue because if his bladder is actually leaking, than 1)the vet SEVERELY fucked up and you should see if you can't get it fixed from him at a discounted rate 2)something else is seriously wrong, like very progressed bladder cancer.

I recently got a two year old Podenco from Spain. And I am so happy. He is so kind, cute and full of life. A little loud sometimes, but I can handle it. He used to be a street dog, and would be put down if nobody wanted him. So we got him from a shelter from free. The only thing we needed to pay for was the transportation to my country.

>>245330

I'm the fresh pet anon, thanks so much for the link and info! I've already spent some time on it and I feel like I'm learning what I need to be. As a first time dog owner, its really nerve-racking trying to sift through all the brands and ingredients. And it feels like everyone is all "raw food only!!!" which isn't viable for me or "its all good - there's no evidence its dangerous! feed them bulk dollar food whatevs." And I feel like if you don't fall into either of those camps, there isn't much support. That site is beyond helpful and I don't know how I didn't come across it before!

My boys are rescues so I don't know their histories or what their past feeding was so I wanna be really on top of it. I feel like I can breathe a little easier now I know that I'm giving them good food.:)

>>245338
awww this makes me so happy

>>245543
yey <3 He is a really weird dog, but in a cute way. He makes strange grunting noises and can sit like a human on our laps. His tail is really short and adorable. I honestly don't understand why more people don't get dogs (and animals generally) from shelters. Many are scarred, but not in a way which leaves them violent. More that they need help and love.

I also have another mixed husky (she has really thin fur) that used to be an arctic sled dog. She was low on the hierarchy. Her previous owner was also abusive, she has a huge scar from when they threw the sled anchor on her and she lived outside all the year even in the cold arctic winter. Her thin fur didn't help her.
She basically went through hell for six years.. I'm so happy now that I see her happy and normal.

I rescued a couple of guinea pigs. Pic related is my younger guy, I took this photo seconds ago. He’s chillin on my shoulder as I’m lying on the couch.

>>246287
Samefag, but to answer the OP questions:

>What kind of animals do you have/want?
Not including the family dog, I have two guinea pigs and a pet mouse that are solely -my- pets. My mouse’s sister died a few months ago which is sad but she seems healthy/happy again.

>What kind of activities do you do with them?
I take the pigs out of their cage and let them run around the dining room table while I study, when it’s nice out they get to hang out in the flower beds. Sometimes I cuddle with them on the couch as seen in my pic.

>What are some products you swear by?
The Oxbow brand for all food stuff (hay, pellets, treats, lab blocks, etc.) It was recommended to me by the local guinea pig rescue because it has the healthiest ingredients of all rodent food. My pigs love the treats especially, they will tackle each other over the Vitamin C cookies every morning.

>What pet decisions do you consider extremely irresponsible?
The stupidest thing pet owners do imo is adopt animals without doing any research on the animal or specific breed first. It’s part of why so many animals are dumped at the shelter. Oftentimes people will buy small animals at pet stores on impulse, thinking that because they’re small they’ll require little maintenance and money but come to find they’re sorely mistaken. The upkeep for most rodents is pretty expensive and you have to tend to them often, not to mention it’s difficult to find someone to care for them if you plan to go out of town (I can leave my mouse for a few days if I leave out enough food and water but since the pigs require constant access to fresh hay and need to be fed fresh vegetables every night, I typically have to take them with me when I travel). At the shelter where I got my first pig, I was told he was purchased at Petco and after several months the owners felt like he was too much work, took up too much space and they initially wanted their young children to take care of him but found the kids weren’t interested. So the poor thing was locked in a tiny, cold metal cage lined with newspaper by himself for about 3 months until I got there. But at very least they entrusted him to a shelter, the staff there told me a lot of the time they take in stray guinea pigs whose owners released them into the wild to get rid of them.

What do you guys do for fleas? It's getting hotter and I used to use Advantix but my dog developed an allergic reaction. My friend uses a natural blend but I'm wary of if that actually works. I'm at a loss for what to do and vets usually suggest the most expensive option so they get a cut.

>>246447
I use Bravecto for fleas/ticks because ticks are SO bad where I live. I know a lot of people are wary of the stuff, but we’ve never had any issues and I trust this stuff more than using garlic or any natural remedy. Plus, it works for 3 months straight. I know that might make some people freak out (I was super wary at first) but we’ve seen no adverse reactions after two years and it’s just the easiest way for us.

>>246297
I feel like way too many people get fish/rodents/small reptiles because they think they’ll be “easy” pets too. It makes me so sad. Some types of pets are more low maintenance than others, sure, but a lot of smaller animals are horribly mistreated and it breaks my heart.

Another pet peeve of mine that’s not too dissimilar: I hate when people don’t research a dog breed properly before jumping in and getting one. The poor meme breeds have gotten it the worst the last few years.

>>246488
Yep, let’s not forget the disaster that spawned after the live action 101 Dalmations movie came out. Retards everywhere tried buying dalmation puppies as Christmas presents for their children only to find that the dogs are actually a very energetic, destructive breed that are not child-friendly and don’t naturally behave like the dogs in the movie, which were strictly trained by professional trainers to be as tame and obedient as they were (big shocker, NOT). Shelters recieved them by the hundreds and 90% of them were put down because they didn’t have room to house 100 dogs at a time. Tragic.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/1997/09/14/us/after-movies-unwanted-dalmatians.html

>>246488
>>246575
The same thing happened recently with Shiba Inus to a lesser extent, everyone wanted the cute meme doge to take fun videos with and to brag about to their friends. While completely ignoring that Shibas are a very complicated mix of high intelligence, active hunting drive and stubbornness, plus males might exhibit dog aggression. A noticeable number of Shibas got abandoned to shelters when people realized how difficult it often is to own one. They're a wonderful breed and I love them to death, but it's simply not for first-time dog owners who just want a cute toy pet to have as an accessory.

>>246447
>>246467
I also use Bravecto. My dog (6kg) did not react badly last year and hasn't had any effects this year (just administered a few days ago).

I hate people who peddle pseudoscientific flea/tick prevention. I'm in a European dog group on FB, and people are constantly recommending amber collars and coconut oil. "They work!" No, there's no evidence they work. Literally nothing scientific.

My rescue dog has started to snap at me when I clean her paws after coming inside (I use unscented baby wipes or a wet towel - she reacts more to the wipes.) This has developed over time and we are now at the point where I have to muzzle her to clean her paws. She used to have a neutral relationship with her muzzle (she has to wear it to go on public transportation in my country) , but now when I muzzle her to clean her paws, she tries to snap as soon it's on her snout.

I took her to the vet, who said her paws are fine. I am gentle when I clean them. I'm OCD about having a clean apartment, so not cleaning them is unacceptable. Any thoughts?

She is a dachshund mix, about 7 years old. She's reactive when on a leash and snaps in certain situations (probably from abuse or trauma in her past - she was found on the street). I am training with positive reinforcement (rewards & clicker). However in tense situations with humans, using food is NOT helpful. Example: when she meets strangers, they cannot offer her treats. If they do, she may take one or two treats but then nip at their clothing or react defensively. It's bad & I'm sure it has to do with whatever happened in her past, as the behaviorist we met told me that is a very strange reaction for a dog. Now I tell all new people to ignore her and not to feed her anything until meeting her for the 2nd time, and that is working very well.

But this paw situation is stressing me. I know soon she will start to snap before I get the muzzle on (as the behavior has been escalating), and that admittedly scares me. She doesn't intentionally bite to injure & never holds on, but her snaps/nips do hurt and until I started muzzling her to clean her paws, she did give me a couple bloody wounds on my hands.

It's worth saying that in most other situations with me, she is sweet. I have learned what issues she has & I try to avoid her triggers while training her to be better behaved. I'm her whole world and she is - I think - quite happy with me. But not with me cleaning her paws (anymore). She does not snap when being bathed, even though she does not especially enjoy baths.

>>246654
Yeah, I’m in a breed specific health group and all the middle aged owners are obsessed with holistic medicine. They link to dogsnaturally daily. I stay in the group because the sane members have great advice for health issues and a network of veterinarians.

pet vent time

>have elder lady cat
>cat is a bit picky
>missing her bottom teeth
>has to eat really easy wet foods
>find a perfect brand that is fairly cheap
>one day, really sick, use instacart for shopping (it's like a service where someone uses your lists and delivers the groceries to you)
>pick out a few different flavors of cat food
>shopper gets one flavor of our brand but buys other flavors in fancy feast brand instead
>really upset because they are supposed to call you to get the okay, and i definitely would have told him to get the same flavor of the brand i asked for
>get refund but still have the fancy feast
>decide to try it one day while it's raining cause i don't want to go out
>cat laps it up like it's the best thing
>buy her regular food
>starts to turn her nose up to it all month
>think it's cause she's getting older
>worry about my poor old kitty having troubles
>forget about the fancy feast
>go to pet store and get a bunch of different brands for her to try all this week
>try some fancy feast because they have one that seems easy to eat
>she likes a few brands pretty well, feeling hopeful
>give her fancy feast to try
>suddenly turns her nose up to the other ones again
>mfw i remember it's because that guy got me the wrong brand

aaaand that's why you should never trust someone to buy your pet food kids. i have like $40 of food that she won't eat and i don't know what to do with.

>>246656
Can you clean the paws via dunking the dog in a shallow (a few inches) tub of warm water while she's standing? Like a tub you might use for dishes. My dog hates the paws being touched (no reason at all) but withstands a quick dunk and dry. You could also try training her to give you her paw (sometimes I try to hold the paws in playing and praise if he responds well, I'm assuming that's why "give the paw" is a trick in the first place)

In the China dog festival thing the dogs get their paws cut off so they're more "tasty" because of the adrenalin. So the weird paw behavior is not totally irrational in context of what humans can do. Dogs always assume the worst (see also: abandonment issues when someone leaves to do an errand)

>>246654
>>246467
Thanks! I'll look into Bravecto. Hopefully I can get it before flea season really kicks up.

>>246700
Also baby wipes can be surprisingly abrasive, I've cleaned rust off a mirror with baby wipes before, and it gives me red inflamed skin if I use baby wipes (and makeup wipes) on my face very often. So the wet towel or quick paw dunk+dry will be better methods in general in terms of possible sensitivity.

>>246656
It really sounds like the problem is "between her ears", maybe her paws got irritated from the baby wipes once without you noticing and now she wants to avoid having her paws touched and wiped? Gonna second anon >>246700 here, try soaking them in water instead.

>>246656
I have a nervy rescue dog that dislikes her paws being washed, she doesn't snap anymore, just cries like a baby and tries to get away. I found that sitting on the ground next to her while I do it makes the whole situation less stressful, softly baby talk her while you do it too and if she gets over threshold, stop for a few seconds and start again when she's calm.
Another thing, it sounds totally silly but if you make gentle (?) eyes at her and smack your lips together to make a quiet popping noise, she might take the paw cleaning easier. Also, get one of those big yellow car sponges and saturate it with water then squeeze the water out over her paws, it will feel less weird for her.

The best thing to do when she bites in my opinion is to not draw your hand back or stop completely, use a really dramatic ashamed voice like "I cannot BELIEVE you would do that to me, I'm so sad right now!" Dogs love us and they want our approval at their core.

Good luck with her anon!

can anyone give advice on my dog? he has scab-like skin rashes on his backside and armpits. he's been groomed every few weeks to keep his fur short for both the summer, and reducing fleas. I think fleas caused the itchy rashes that he has, but idk. its not like it was an infestation, only a few fleas here or there. My house is really tiny, so i keep him outside to roam in our back yard when nobody is home to watch him. i will take him to the vet, just want to know if anyone else had this experience. i feel like its going to be impossible to get rid of or prevent since i feel like my dog should be outside for the sake of not being cooped up for hours at a time when nobody is home. (if nobody is home to supervise the dog, he will get into things and go to the bathroom indoors.)

>>246712
If you see a few there are probably aloooot of fleas you don't see, there is a product called Advantage that kills fleas and their eggs and prevents a return for a month, it's only $10 or so.

>>246700
>>246702
>>246705
>>246709
Thanks, everyone! I hadn't thought about dunking & I will try that starting today. I do think it's in her head. (I interrogated the vet last week to be sure she had no irritation on her paws.) I always praise her when she allows me to clean a paw without snapping. Previously I had smeared a little peanut butter on the inside of her muzzle to distract her, but I think that this is now complicating matters because food is involved.

I'll report back about the dunking.

>>246769
gif is my dog, protecting a bone in my uni office. She didn't bite, just warned my friend with this teeth display, but she also doesn't come to the office anymore. That was in the summer when almost no one was around.

>>246447
I use Frontline. Sometimes it's just a certain chemical that causes a reaction, and switching to another brand may help. Whatever you do, don't get flea/tick collars. It will just cause a year-round insatiable itch on their neck.
>>246687
Geez that sucks, especially since fancy feast is one of the most expensive canned cat foods while also being one of the most shitty canned cat foods.

My cat's paw is swollen, I think he got stung by a bee. What should I do?

>>254380
I am really sorry about your cat! He should be ok through as bee stings are not usually fatal to cats. However you man want to take him in to the vet if the swelling persists. (judging that its been a while he should be ok by now)

Does anyone have any advice for litter training a rabbit? This is my little boy, Jeremy. The adoption center we got him from said he was litter trained but he isn't. He doesn't shit outside of his cage but he doesn't use his litter pan. My boyfriend and I have tried everything but he still won't use his tray.

>>256787
My rabbit always went in his cage when I put his food bowl and water in it. It's pretty gross but it worked lol.

>>256787
properly house your rabbit first then read up thread.

>>256804
>>256804
What do you mean by properly house your rabbit? His cage is pretty big.

Tips on getting ur dog to become better at walks? Got a medium small dog, otherwise well behaved but on walks he’s slow, sturbborn etc. Like he’s supposed to somewhat be following me but he’s always in the nah I’m gonna sniff this shit for ages and stand still all the time for no reason- mood.

>>256819
As cringey as she is I suggest watching princesspeachies YouTube vids on rabbit care, her cage setup is done nicely and she suggests other rabbit youtubers to check out and she touches a bit on litter training. From the pic your enclosure looks way too small.

>>256787
I litter trained my rabbit by putting the “litter box” (the sell small rabbit litter boxes at pet stores, use regular kitty litter) then when he poops a few times, pick up said rabbit poops and put them in the litter box (on the top so he can see them, put at least like 5-10 poops there) and he’ll see that his poops are in a certain area and go there. If he favors an area where he mainly poops, put the litter box in that area or close to it. Hope it helps. It might take 2 or 3 times to get the hang of it, just keep manually placing his poops in the litter box and he’ll catch on after 2 or 3 days.

>>256845
if your rabbit ingests clumping/clay based/standard cat litter they could very easily die please change to something plant based for your buns safety.

>>256840
Our dog loves to stop and sniff everything as well. We use a couple of commands for it. “Leave it” to obviously get her to leave whatever it is alone (also helpful to get her away from things she might want to eat) and “go” to get her to move along when she’s dawdling. We taught her with small treats originally, but now we just praise her.

My shelter dog thinks barking is good boy behavior :( I think he might have been a garden dog or something because when I let him out to the garden, he runs around barking. If I call him back or he finishes his round, he runs to me happy as can be, tail loose and wagging, in play mode. This would be fine if he didn’t do it late at night. I feel guilty because of my neighbors and I don’t know how to stop him from barking up a storm. tbh he’s kinda dumb and doesn’t seem to understand when I’m annoyed or frustrated. I’ve tried doing all the usual cues but I swear he’s just really stupid (he doesn’t really get fetch). I taught him sit and then whenever he wants anything, he purposefully sits. Say my other dog (who is really intelligent and i have no issues training) has a toy, he’ll walk over, slowly lower himself, and stare at the toy :( As though the act alone will bring him the toy.

Ugh idk. I don’t wanna be a pest to the neighbors but I don’t know how to communicate to him that he’s an annoying fuck

>>260954
That sounds cute af. Look, you're only letting him out for a few minutes to pee, it's not like he's barking all day. A few minutes shouldn't bother your neighbors and if it does, fuck them

i really want to get a hamster and i've done almost obsessive research on how to care for them but i'm too afraid to get one. like most small animals they don't live very long and i get VERY attached, very quickly to animals, i can't stand the thought of getting a pet only to lose them just a few years later.

to hamster owners, or any small pet owners really: is it worth it, and how do you deal?

>>260958
aw thanks, that's actually really reassuring. He really is super cute. He's a long-haired chihuahua mutt. My neighbors have chickens and a rooster so I guess they're just gonna have to deal lol I deal with their animals making noise so I guess fair is fair.

>What are some products you swear by?

Diaper pails are cool for pet owners with apartments. I scoop waste from my cats litter box into plastic bags then tie off the plastic bags and put them in the diaper pail. It completely conceals the smell until I feel like trekking all the way to the complex dumpster to throw it out.

>>260964
I rescued a hamster last fall, he was full grown when I got him so he probably has less than a year left, but he is the sweetest boy and I love him so much. I am saddened by knowing I can't have him forever but I find joy in giving him the best life he can have even though it is so short. I would definitely recommend a hamster if you're well informed and ready.

Also i'd check out jenna marbles videos and julien's vlogs with their hamster ad who passed recently. I just think they're nice videos. And though they had him for less than a year those videos really embody the whole giving the fullest life to such a small animal idea to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWbr7_7gKs0

>>260964
I’ve had rats, and now have cats and dogs. The rats have all since died. One day my cats and dogs will be dead, and it will hurt like losing a good friend, because that’s what my pets are to me.

It will hurt terribly when a pet passes, but for that pain to be there, you’ve had a happy and loving friendship with the animal you’re mourning. You’ve made each other happy, feel safe and warm and wanted. You’ve loved and protected and provided for this little creature and, as much as it is capable, it loves you back. (Unless reptile because no amygdala)

It’s a lot of hurt but there are years of happiness beforehand that are worth a hundred heartbreaks imo.

FYI with hamsters and guinea pigs though, they’re social animals and suffer terribly without companionship.

>>261123
Aw bless he sounds so cute. My dog has his little routines too, he'll bark at his dinner for a few minutes if it's too hot. He just gets a little too excited and I can't bring myself to tell him off for that. He's a rescue too. I don't really mind as long as he stops once he calms down, dogs who bark outside out of boredom all day are the real problem imo.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it becomes obsessive.

>>261178
another funny thing he does is get really upset if you take his ball, but still wants to play fetch. Its like this internal war he fights. He'll bring the ball over to you and when you go to take it, he runs away! If you do manage to snatch it to throw it, he runs after it and then hides. If you just ignore him, he will whine and then drop it on your foot/laptop/lap. Cue you throwing it and then him hiding for a minute before coming back to pester you some more.
Its absolutely hilarious but also really confusing. Does he want you to take it to throw it or not? I think he wants you to try to take it and fail so he can feel accomplished.

>>261208
Fetch is a huge learning curve for dogs.

Mine will drop the ball at your feet, let you throw it, then chase it and while holding the ball in his mouth, will run further away to where the ball might have gone with a better throw.

>>261256
I’m cackling. That’s hilarious. Sounds like a cutie

>>260964
Absolutely not the same, but if you want a small animal which will live longer, some species of frogs are pretty cool to have. They have a lot of personality, obviously not pets for everyone since you need to feed them bugs and their care is pretty specialized.

Whites Tree Frogs are awesome but those suckers can live up to 16 years which can be a lot of commitment for someone uncertain of where they'll be in the future. Plus not all vets will work with or are knowledgeable on them.

Ranting here.

I was asked to babysit my friend's old dog. Fine, I can do this. No problem. But I go to meet the dog and… wow, this dog needs to be put down.

She's almost 16, deaf, blind, back legs keep giving out, can control bladder, can't control bowels. Friend even said, "The stress of me leaving will likely kill here."

I just feel so bad for this dog. She just lays there in pain (stressed panting) and can't get up sometimes.

Just. I seriously need to have an intervention here. My friend said she'd put her down when she began suffering. She is.

It feels like she's hoping the dog will die in our care almost? Idk. But I seriously hate that I'm this position where I have to tell someone to kill their dog.

Okay. Great to get this off my chest.

>>261264
Oh god I feel you. Working in a grooming salon we'd get those situations but on a less personal scale. People would bring their literally at death's door old dogs to us who could barely stand and they were so convinced a bath would perk them up or they couldn't walk because of their nails. The dogs were clearly in so much pain just living. I definitely felt sometimes that they wanted the dog to pass in our salon so they wouldn't see it. One guy dropped off his dog that later collapsed a minute after he handed him over and signed the paper. We chased after him but he RAN OUT OF THE STORE and refused to answer our 10 calls. We had to hold the dog up the entire time because if he lied down, his breathing became super labored and he kept closing his eyes. It was terrible.
I also had a coworker at a different job who had to hand feed her dog because it wouldn't eat or even drink on its own. People don't want to let go of their pets. I understand since it's a horrible experience (i held my dog while we put him down and I was unable to function for days after) But animals can't tell us they are in pain. It's up to us to not be selfish and help them pass if they can't live comfortably and safely on their own.

>>261265
Yeesh that sucks.

What's worse is she has an 8-year-old golden who's starting to have problems. He was in ER throwing up blood, almost died. He got better but they don't know the cause.

I had to euthanize my hamster and cat this year. Different situations because they both died suddenly. Cat threw a blood clot in her leg, not one's fault. The hamster got pnuemonia, and I probably would have caught it early if I'd kept better weight logs. Still kicking myself.

I'm just rambling now because I really don't want to watch another animal die this year. I've got my cat's screams burned in my brain, every time I hear kids playing outside I think one of my kitties is dying.