Pets are good therapy

karen333

Stanzie, can you get to the dead rats after the cat kills them but before puppy dines, might try putting a good bit of pepper on it, he might get the idea that they're not so delicious.

Stanzie

Thanks everyone, I so appreciate it.... very worried and scared right now. Alfie has this "sore" on his throat/chin. I first thought it was a tick then saw it had a scab. Well I was concerned so took him to the vet. It wasn't my regular doctor and she was prepared to see a "hot spot".... when she saw it there was this pause and she got very serious said it was some sort of tumor/growth. I about fainted.... So they took a needle sample and put it on slides and are sending it off to University of Ga. - I won't know anything for up to a week for the results to come in... After losing Liesl who I still grieve for... don't think I can take it if is something really bad. And my son who is at camp about lives for this puppy.... So very worried....

3jaysmom

oh, stanzie.. i'll be waiting with you to hear the "all clear"..

  did the vet have any advise about the dog/rats??3jays

FilterLady

Stanzie.....I'm waiting with you to hear the "all clear" as well.

We do love those critters don't we?

Have a great weekend!

Anonymous

Oh Stanzie,   I sure do hope everything turns out to be OK on Alfie. 

I have been spending a lot of time in bed catching up with Breaking Bad on DVDs I got from the library.  As much as Harley loves to be outside, he stays right there in bed with me.  He's my boy.

I just got back from feeding the cat up the street.....I can get her to follow me as far as two houses away from mine and then she just sits down in the grass and won't move....but we are making progress as it was three houses away a week ago.   

karen333

Stanzi, hoping there is nothing serious with Alfie.  We suffer with our furbabies until they are back at home with a good health report.

Stanzie

Thank you all.... guess I really should quit reading about all the really scary tumors. It is hard cause there isn't any information that would make me feel better as they really can't tell till the biopsy come back. One of the indications of something scary is if it changes... I honestly can't tell, probably as I'm so worried it is hard to even look at it and I don't want to scare Alfie. I'm trying to keep it clean with hydrogen peroxide and neosporin - other than that I guess I'm just stuck waiting....

As for the rat issue the doc suggested getting a basket muzzle and putting it on him whenever he goes out as he can do pretty much everything except eat something dreadful... Right now I'm just scouting before letting him out as I'm just too worried to do more right now... Thanks again... Will let you all know when I hear! 

macatacmv

Hey Stanzie, been thinking of you and Alfie. Hope all is going well. LOL a simple solution like a basket muzzle, why didn't we think of that? That's why the vets get the big money!

On Saturday, one of the hoses at my pool sprung a leak. The guy came to fix it and made it worse. He said he would be back. By mid afternoon it was a geyser! Almost up to the second floor of my house.  Meanwhile my DD was coming to visit and I wanted everything to be perfect and I couldn't hang out the laundry. In the end it was just funny. We stood in the shower of water and cooled off anyway.  Finally by nightfall another man showed up and fixed it.

Last fall I had a new french door put in on my deck instead of a sliding glass door. These doors open out so the whole doorway is screen. The screens roll out from the sides and snap together in the middle. Well, it is a finer screen and the dog has a hard time seeing that the screen is closed and keeps running into it. I put a strip of blue painter's tape on it to help her, but now she is traumatized about the whole thing. She doesn't want to go in or out that door and I even have to convince her that the front door is ok. She doesn't like the sound of the nebulizer I have to use now either.  Poor thing is having a hard time. And because the meds are making me so tired I am not getting her out for a run everyday. My son fell at work and cut his arm, he has 13 staples, so he is not in the mood to walk her either. Maybe I'll see if I can get a neighbor kid to take her for a walk once a day or something. She has so much energy and I have none. LOL

Marybe, I've been watching Nurse Jackie. I am still on last season, but it is so addicting.LOL 

Anonymous

Mac. My latest TV addiction is Breaking Bad....am trying to catch up for Season lV which starts in July.

We had a poodle, the only dog we ever had when I was still living at home, since my parents thought we had to be "older" to accept the responsibility of a pet.....as it was my Dad was the one who ended up feeding her..Oh well.   Anyway, we had a houseboat and always took her with us....Charmin, was her name....there was a big sliding glass door from the LR that went out onto the deck.   One morning she went flying into it and it knocked her out....she came out of it, but was never really the same after that...started developing hip problems, but she was old 14 and I think poodles are prone to joint problems anyway.   Now the rat terrier we have, Brattie....he is afraid of the dog door.   He is a very timid dog anyway and when we lst got it we had to have an actual trainer come and show him how to use it.....all was fine and he would go in and out on his own, but then something happened.   I think he must have run into it when it was down one night and now he is afraid of it and won't use it at all Unless the rubber part is taped up and open with that heavy duty tape.....of course this allows the flies to come in and out which I hate, but he will not use the door at all if it is down.   Who knows what happened and it is a shame animals can't talk.

I think when dogs get older and especially if they are losing their hearing or sight things spook them.   Harley is neither old or losing any of his senses, but he was having little trembling spells and still does, but not as often.   The vet gave him a RX for Alprazolam, which is generic for something....am not sure if it's like atavan or zoloft or what, but it's sort of an anti-anxiety thing.  She said she gives it to her dog if there is a storm.   Maybe you could ask about something like that for your dog. A neighbor kid for walks sounds like a great idea. 

Harley certainly was a wild boy this morning.   Racing around the backyard with his dumbell while I was out watering.   Something has beat up my ferns or some animal has been laying in them.....Tim says it is the dogs racing around chasing squirrels.   I love my plants almost as much as my pets so this is not a good thing.

Stanzie,....still hoping for good news for Alphie. 

Stanzie

I agree find someone to come walk you dog even if you have to pay them. I hired this lady as a dog walker just once a week so I could be gone a long streach and get things done as in the summer I have the kids full time during the weekdays when my ex is working- even though for child support he claims not to have a job... sigh...

Anyway, the dog walker was wonderful till she threw out her back, then her sister was doing it but then she got the flu and had to put her cat to sleep so now haven't heard from her in 3 weeks. Bigger dogs are happier when they have had exercise. I'm sorry you are feeling so tired. 

Sorry about your pool too!!! I do know about that- had a leak since  the 16th and it was finally fixed yesterday- they couldn't figure out where it was coming from... Replaced all sorts of things - caching! 

I've heard about those types of screens and thought they sounded wonderful. I think Alfie would chew through it as he seems to chew everything right now... he is 8 months.... this stops when? 

I also have a pet door and if Alfie FIT though it - it would be wonderful! But it was for a cat and dachsund so no hope of Alfie's 32 lbs getting through it! He is sunning himself right now but if I shut the door he has to come in or if I move away from the door he has to come in.... it is hot with the door open and bugs flying in and AC flying out...... I really like the sound of those screens can you tell? 

Sorry for all the anxiety in the furbabies. The only time my little dachsund had anxiety(that I knew of) is when I went out of town and my ex had her. When our long time babysitter came that first afternoon she told she had to hold her like a baby and carry her around all afternoon and when she tried to leave even with my kids and ex home she cried at the window.... Made me so sad.... 

Stanzie

Just got the news!!!!! The tumor is benign on little Alfie!!!!! so thrilled!!! said to still watch it as it can get really big and bothersome before it resolves itself but just so happy!!!

Anonymous

Oh, Stanzie!!   I am so happy that you got good news.  Resolve itself?....is if eventually just going to go away on its own? 

Can you get a larger size dog door? Harley would fit through a cat door, and I don't know what size we have, but both Brattie and Hope fit through it and I think Brattie weighs 30 lbs.....it's not the largest door they make, but it is quite large....taller than it is wide.

Well, I have to go  feed the stray....don't have time to coax her this way tonight, am just going to pet her for about five mins and leave her food.  Have to pack for Florida tonight for my trip to see BarbA tomorrow....I will get to meet her Lucy.  It's cooler in Fla than here....made it up to 100o here today.  

FilterLady

Stanzie.....I'm doing the happy dance for y'all!

macatacmv

Yay for Alfie!!!!!!!! 

A friend has taken my pup to the dog park two days in a row and she is much calmer. Still shy around the screen door, but better.

Marybe have a great time in FL.  

Jen42

Hi ladies,

I'm just jumping in here...on suggestion of another bco.org member...I haven't read thru this thread...sorry if this question has already been asked. But wondering if anyone has ideas for a dog having seasonal allergies...itching and scratching and puffy eyes, inflamed ears. I have a German short-haired pointer, male, 11 years old, with grass allergies. (I know, the irony, a hunting dog with grass allergies. All he loves to do is go running thru tall grass, looking for birds!) This happens every year around June...once the temps warm up and the  grass dries out. Year round, I have him on a high quality food, limited ingredients (to rule out food allergies), I give him fish oil, a pro-biotic, and a high quality vitamin supplement from Platinum Performance. Once he shows signs of allergies, I give him Benadryl and a bath. If things get really bad, I take him to vet and they put him on prednisone. I hate that stuff. Last year, it really seemed to affect him negatively and I am trying to avoid it this year. Had to go to vet last Saturday, as a gross smell was coming from one of his ears. The vet understood my concerns about prednisone and just gave me drops for his ears because he had developed a yeast infection in one of them. That is clearing up nicely. Vet told me to give him a bath once a week, keep doing the Benadryl, and limit his outside time (he is HATING that) until things calm down. The itching and scratching is very slowly getting better...but just wonder if anyone has things that have worked for their dogs...both to avoid this from happening in first place and remedies for once an allergic reaction has started. Thank you !

Stanzie

Be careful if you are bathing him that often... use a very mild oatmeal shampoo for dogs and my vet told me to mix it in water and put it in a spray bottle so it gets all over without getting too much soap on him. Also make sure you rinse him extremly well - dogs can really scratch and itch if shampoo is still on their skin. Other than that walk him on a leash so he can get out and get exercise but not get into the grass that irritates him.Also just wiping him down with damp paper towels as soon as you get in side and remember to get the bottom of his feet can also help. I have a friend whose dog and kids have terrible allergies. Also make sure it isn't his food that is contributing to the allergies...

Thank you all about Alfie!!! It is still icky looking but whew on it not being cancer! Since then he stuck his nose into fire ants!! Got about 25 bites/stings! he is still itchy so using benedryl and he is getting better but with the awful growth and the swollen nose - poor thing not his most attractive week! Then last night he swallowed the cap to a tube of toothpaste! Arg! Called the vet on call and she thought it would pass through but had he thrown up I would have headed to the vet for expensive tests and surgeries... Goodness sure do have to watch this puppy and having a child with Down syndrome who isn't good about picking up toys this is getting to be a challenge... 

But he is soooo sweet. I was reading in bed and he comes over sort of comando crawling and puts his nose right under my chin and sighs.... He does make me laugh!  Hope you all have a good 4th and remember to watch all the pets because of the noise... wondering if Alfie will be freaking...?

chabba

Someone was shooting some pretty loud fireworks in our neighborhood last night.  My Yoyo was lying in the chair across from me and just lifted his head, sighed and went to sleep.  This is the same dog that runs from window to window barking and trying to chase the thunder away. 

Layla2525

Stanzie,so glad the Alfie(dog?) is gonna be ok. I have an older GShep,great dog I adopted but he is having a time with the heat wave.

My fiance wants to give me a Boredor puppy. Lab/border collie mix,female. She is so high energy tho, I told him I might have to wait til after my upcoming exchange surg to take her. Anybody know anything about that breed? I was a "bad mom" to my GS, I gave him regular meat on the bone and it wore his teeth down. I didnt know. I feel so bad that I was a dumb mom to the poor beast. He can still eat dry dog food but I soften it with a little broth. No more bones for him. He still likes to play and thought the puppy would be fun for him and I ,him and me? Gosh somebody please call my 4th grade English grammar teacher,I've been in the south so long, I seen I cant speak Anglish no more..lol.We drove to GA to see the flood and we cracked up over the signs on the stores. Instead of "closed" the sign said "Shut". We were wondering what the sign says if they are open?? lol..

Stanzie

LOL!! I live in Ga and I've never seen a store say "shut" that is very funny!

Well, Border collies are very smart and do have tons of energy and Labs - well the puppy Alfie plays with is very strong and weighs a lot - her Mama owner has a hard time holding onto her but she is awfully sweet. Don't know what the Collie mix might add... whew! 

Alfie is having a hard time as well and not being bale to walk him is giving me a hard time! However I already wonder about another dog even though, I can't handle that nor afford it (they way Alfie goes to the vet!). Alfie just Adores other dogs... he would so love a puppy!! Maybe in a few years but before he loses his love of playing... he keeps trying to play with my 10 year old cat and that really isn't going well... 

Kate60

Great news about Alfie (phew).

Well I made the mistake of forgetting to shut my bedroom door when I went out for one whole hour yesterday. I came back to a bedroom full of foam from one of my pillows! The culprit is the usual one, the one who thinks her throat is gonna be cut if I leave her. She does it to punish me, not because she's bored or in a playful mood. it was only an hour and oh such a mess.

On a positive side, we decided to rearrange our bedroom configuration and this meant moving our big heavy bed into another position. When it was moved, I found 3 much loved chewed tennis balls and my favourite long lost thongs (thats flip flops to most of you) under there as well as 3 matching pairs of socks and 2 odd ones. Everything covered in a good layer of feathers from one of the previous pillows that had been destroyed.

Ah, gotta love them though - and I do.

macatacmv

Isn't it amazing what we find under the furniture? Whenever I move my couch to vacuum besides lots of dog hair I find lost treasures.

I just realized yesterday that I have not been putting up the gate to keep my pup from the rest of the house when I go out. She has also stopped sleeping in her crate. She is 20 months old now. She is growing up and settling down a bit. Whew what a ride it has been!

Anonymous

I am very worried about the stray we feed up the street.  As you know, the people who lived in the house where she used to hang out moved and the new people have a dog and fenced in their yard so do not want the cat hanging around, although they are not mean to her or anything.  This other woman and I take turns feeding her and I have been trying to coax her up to my house where I could make her a nice little home on the porch.  Well, I fed her Friday night and then the other woman was in charge over the weekend since I was going to my Dad's.  She called me Sunday when I was on my way back and told me she had not seen her all weekend and would I try to feed her that night.  I went up there, but no cat....normally she always comes when I call her and sometimes I don't even have to call as she knows my car.  So today I went up there in the morning and she was there and so was the other woman who feeds her....she said she wasn't eating for her.  I had a little plate of canned food with me and thought maybe she would eat that since she always has, but she wasn't very interested. I had to go to my dr's appt so left the wet food there and when I talked to Cindy later she said the cat didn't eat it, but did drink some water.  I tried again tonight and no luck....she will smell the food, but doesn't eat.  She was purring really loud while I was petting her and doesn't really act like she feels bad, but I am afraid she has what George had when he stopped eating...FIP....and it's supposed to get painful if you let it go.  So what is going to happen to our poor feline friend.....is she going to die a slow painful death...she won't let anyone pick her up and is so skiddish that I cannot imagine ever getting her to a vet to be checked out. 

Layla2525

AussieKate,yep I learned the hard way with my adopted German Shep,such a good dog and he has a kennel but it has been hell here in FL with the humidity and heat and so I brought him in to lay on the ceramic tile in the back foyer and he would feel cool when the AC comes on and keeps that tile cool. We went out for a few hrs to the gym and to eat and got back just in time. He was having a party by himself with the garbage and begun to carry pieces of it from the kitchen to the living room. Last time I swifter wet cleaned my kitchen, my fiance carried in a large watermelon from the Farmers Market and dropped it to burst on the floor. Between him and the dog, I am not sure I could handle the puppy. I might as well get used to "dirty",cause PS is not gonna let me mop for weeks after surg!

FilterLady

Marybe....I wanted to "catch" a feral cat here so that I could get him fixed.  I borrowed a trap from my vet and didn't feed the cat for 2 days then put canned food in the trap and got him. 

I continued to talk softly to him but didn't approach the trap.  The next morning I put him in my car and continued to talk softly to him on the way to the vet.

The vet "fixed" him and within days he was sneaking back up to eat.  Then he stated just rubbing against my leg all the while purring.  Fast forward a month and he's waiting for him morning loving and wraps himself around my legs when I go to feed him.  He no longer wander and gets along with our other 2 inside/outside cats.  We call him Stubby since he's got a nub for a tail.  Now he wants to sit in my lap and will cry until I pick him up.  If I go down the drive to the mailbox he sits on the deck and cries the entire time.  He even follows me around the yard and to feed Gordy, my pet russian boar.

He's turned into a sissy real quick.  Since getting him fixed, I've trapped another feral cat and got him fixed.  I haven't seen him (named him Slick) since I brought him home and let him out.

I hope you can get that kitty to eat soon....he may have tooth problems.  We've got 3 inside cats too and they've had a tooth problem that kept them from eating too.

Good luck,

LaDonna

Stanzie

What about someone else feeding the kitty too? Maybe that is why he/she isn't hungry? Do it look thinner? I'm so sorry I know you are worried about the kitty!

Anonymous

With my cat, George, we thought it was his teeth when he stopped eating and I had them cleaned and two extracted, but he still would not eat and then they tried steriods and that didn't help either and then it turned out to be with FIP so that is why I am worried that maybe this cat has that.  The vet told me they have to have lived outdoors to get it.   Last night she lapped the oil off the can of tuna I opened and ate maybe 2 tbps of the tuna....not much, but an improvement over nothing.  The cat loves to be petted an purrs like crazy when you pet her....she will also rub against my legs or back if I am sitting down by her, BUT won't let me pick her up.....got scratched really badly when I tried to do that. 

Yes, two of us are feeding her, but the other woman doesn't have any success either.....she calls and tells me if the cat ate anything and I always keep her posted if I have any luck with feeding her also.   Saw that other stray cat again last night so I am not leaving food there.....the people who are allowing us to sit on their wall when we feed her and who also have a water bowl out for her would not be too receptive to two strays hanging out there.  It is so sad that there are animals out there on their own....it's tough. 

FilterLady

Marybe.....I know it just breaks my heart to see kitties that need love.  If I find one somewhere, I'll pick it up, take it to the vet and get it fixed and shots, then my vet is usually very successful getting them adopted to good homes.

I wish I could afford to have a hundred cats.....I just love them so much.  But I won't have any more if I can't take care of them, so I'm trying not to keep any additional cats so I can continue to get any treated and fixed that I find, lol

I told my vet I know that I paid for the new treatment room he just got finished building.  July is the month that 5 of ours get all their shots, exams, etc...

I've also had a cat that had FIP....but it was the wet kind so we had to put him down....he actually came with the house we bought and we had him for about 8 years after we moved him.  He was an outside cat and didn't want to be inside at all but he was the sweetest thing.

I'm hoping you can get that kitty to eat soon.

LaDonna

Anonymous

What is the wet kind of FIP?  I don't know much about it other than George just would not eat and was wasting away to nothing.  His stomach however was really bloated and the vet took some fluid out of it with a syringe and he said it was FIP and that it would eventually cause him a lot of pain so I had him put to sleep.   I only had him because he needed a home....never had been a cat person, but George changed all that.  I sure did love him and still miss him in spite of having three dogs. Here is a picture of George for you who never saw a pic of him before...he loved boxes. 

karen333

George was a very handsome cat, he looks quite the character sitting in his box.  I am sure you still miss him, especially since he converted a dog person into a cat person also.  My daughter is trying to get a shy stray into the house, he is very timid though.  She lost a cat a short while ago and feels like this cat has picked her.  He does come on the porch when she is sitting there and eats near her, he let her pet him once.  I think it is so admireable of you two ladies in taking care of your feral cat, though it sounds like you have made inroads with him, if he is circling your legs and purring. 

Anonymous

  Tonight the cat ate about 1 Tbsp of tuna and lapped up all the liquid.  She seems very peppy, considering the fact she isn't getting much nutrition....comes running when I show up, just isn't really interested in food.  She still cleans herself up after eating and she was doing that when I left her tonight.  The other lady said she didn't have much luck today, plus this woman who lives next door to where the cat hangs out put this note on her car saying Please don't walk in our driveway.   What a B____!!  We can use the driveway of the people who don't mind us feeding the cat in their back yard, but it's on the side where traffic is heavy and it's just easier to go in the back way.   Something must have rubbed this woman the wrong way, but she has never said anything to me.....sometimes I think I get away with more just because I have a bald head, but I am not going to press my luck and certainly won't walk down her driveway either. 

Before going to feed her tonight I was over at my friend's feeding her two....she has one old very fat cat and a new kitten who is about 9 months old who is all over the place and talks constantly....the old cat hates him.