Pets are good therapy

Layla2525

filterlady, you have a russian boar? Is that like a wild boar? Where ever did you find such a creature? I thought people only got those little pygmy piglet creatures or pot bellied pigs for pets.

I had some cats,I kept collecting them until I had 3 but they were terrified of my Ger Shep so I gave them to a friend who has a farm. Thats interesting that you are getting the feral cats. Are people just dropping them off? We had a problem like that when I first moved in my house. We took all the dogs in the park to the shelter. The neighbor kept 4 of them until they just couldnt afford it anymore.

Now my fiance wants to give me the puppy and i am trying to get ready for surg on Aug 2nd. goodness.

FilterLady

Marybe, all I know about FIP is that are 2 kinds and the "wet" is the worst....what was happening was that fluid was building up and my poor kitty couldn't breathe. The vet drained it and made the diagnosis and told us that since it was the "wet" type, it would continue to build up and that there was nothing he could do but keep draining it as it built up.  We could not stand to see this precious kitty suffer so we had him put down.

Layla...yep, like a wild boar.  A friend has a brother that works on a game (hunting) preserve and this baby's Momma was killed and her brother got the baby.  He's like one of those boars that people hunt.  He was only about 6 months old when I got him.  He was brown with dark black "watermelon" stripes and scared of everything.  I just got a stool and got a book I was reading and sat on that stool with cheese nips "one of his faves" and I read aloud so that he would be accustomed to me and my voice. 

I would hold out a cracker and he would run up to my hand and get it and run.  It only took about a month to get him to let me pick him up and now he's just a big (425#) baby.  He loves, loves, loves me.  If he hears me talking, he starts squealing for a visit and treat.  When he's scared or hears anyone coming up the driveway, all the hair stands up on his back and he "barks".  

He loves to have our inside/outside cats visit the pen.  We had him castrated when we first got him so he doesn't have those big long tusks just small ones.  Our grandchildren love him too.  We don't allow them to go in the pen with him because he's so big and we're afraid he'll knock them down and hurt them.  I never knew that a P-I-G (that's what we call him lol) could be so much fun.  He has a deck a hugh house and a big area that's just his space.

His favorite food is marshmellow peeps!!!!!!  I sure do love that P-I-G.  We'll be getting some chickens when we return from Virginia!!!! Fresh eggs!!!!! Gordy loves boiled eggs too!

Layla2525

OMG! Never underestimate a woman and her boar! We could write a fairy tale about you except it'd be sort of true..lol Yep filterlady,this sure widens my take on what people consider pets.

Anonymous

Please, please post a picture of P-I-G.

I had no luck with the cat today,,,just sniffed the tuna and walked away, BUT Cindy said she ate quite a bit of the dry food when she went to see her.  So tomorrow I will take dry food with me. 

Kate60

So worried about my boy Jack. I took him to the vets for his immunisations and also because for the last few months he has had these worrying episodes, that only last for a few moments, where he suddenly goes weak in his back legs and then sort of crab walks around. He looks frightened when this happens. Wouldn't you know it, tonight he's done it about 4 times in a row and he hasn't had an episode for a week or so. It is very strange. The vet said to check his eyes when it happens as it could be a neurological condition and they might move from side to side quickly, or the pupils could be different sizes. Well we checked his eyes as it was happening and they seemed quite normal. It breaks my heart because he looks so scared when it happens. The vet said if it continues we should probably give him a CAT scan to really see what's going on in his body. Chances are very slim that he'd actually have an episode whilst at the vets. He precedes every one by doing a big backwards stretch (front legs down, bum in the air) then he looks frightened and crab walks. I don't suppose anyone has any ideas??

Layla2525

Aussiekate,wow what is going on with the creature? Intermittent lameness? Could it be an arthritic type of problem?

Anyone give their dog Trifexis? My dog had eating issues and constipation and vomiting after I gave it to him. But dunno what else to do. The mosquitoes are eating us alive here in FL and I live near lakes and bamboo. That doesnt help. Fiance is trying to attract squirrels but shouldnt we try to attract birds? Someone said to get chickens to eat them?(the chks eat the skeeters,not the birds or squirrels right? no that would be silly.)

Anonymous

Here is the stray up the street who is now eating a LOT!!   We think she must have had a virus or maybe eaten a mouse or something that did not agree with her.  She is now perfectly happy with dry cat food and really gobbles it down....I feed her PM and my friend feeds her AM and she is always there waiting to greet me. 

karen333

Marybe, you did it, you tamed her by your love and persistence, you and you friend are true animal lovers.  I am so glad there are people like you to take care of poor abandoned kittens, I have a feeling you'll get her closer to your house.  I am so glad she is eating again for you.  I was in the hospital for a week and when I got home Emma greeted me right away but Sophie was really mad at me, and stayed away until that night when I said nite, nite time, then she came to my head and headbutted and rubbed all around my face.  She fell asleep on the other pillow and slept with me al night.  All is well again, Karen

FilterLady

Marybe:

I'm so glad you got that kitty to eat for you!  I agree with Karen, I think she'll come closer to your house.  Even stray and feral cats know when someone is trying to help them.  It takes time and patience but can be done.

I'm getting ready to feed my P-I-G a piece of frozen watermelon.  I'll try to get a pic with my phone and then try to figure out how to get it posted here, lol

Gingerbrew

Aussie Kate, I had a golden retriever who got a form of Labrynthitis and would fall over from it. 

Your dog stretching first, before an episode, seems significant. I hope you can find an answer. 

Ginger 

FilterLady

This is a photo of my P-I-G when I first brought him home.  Hopefully, this will post.

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/FilterLady/IMAG0118.jpg

FilterLady

This is what my P-I-G looked like when I first brought him home.  I'll try to get a photo today when I feed him.  T

Isn't he just the cutest thing you ever saw????

Gingerbrew

Is he neutered? I wonder if that would have an effect on his tusks? I know nothing at all about Boars.  He is very cute!   Does he oink oink or make another sound?  Again, very cute! 

Ginger

FilterLady

Hi Ginger:

We got him neutered at 6 months.  Yep, neutering does dramatically slow down the growth of his tusks.  He's just now getting small ones.

I didn't know anything about pigs or boars when I got him.....he was just too cute to resist and now he's just a big baby.

Actually he kinds grunts, real low and if something/someone scares him the hair on his back stands up and he barks!!

He'll squeal like a regular pig if he hears me talking outside....his way of telling me he wants to be petted, fed....etc.

I used to go into the pen with him everyday but he's about 425# now and I don't go into the pen when my DH is not home.  He gets so excited that he'll knock anyone down trying to play!

I've got a recent photo that I'm going to try to get off my phone and get it posted here.

FilterLady

http://s763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/FilterLady/

FilterLady

Gordy, my P-I-G!

Anonymous

Oh my!   Is that hair soft?, it looks soft, but I am thinking it is probably wirey. 

FilterLady

Marybe, his hair on the top of his head and on the top of his back is very wirey.  I found out while reading about boars after I first got him that in the old days toothbrushes were made of that hair.

The rest is soft and kinda curly.  He gets a thicker coat in the winter that he sheds throughout the summer.  In fact, you can give it a soft tug and it'll come out in your hand.  I do this quite often and the birds love to get that fur to build their nests in the spring/summer.

He loves to watch the birds eat the grain out of his trough but doesn't like to share with the squirrels.  My DH will get in the pen and gather up his toys into a pile and Gordy gets busy to put them back where he had them.  In the winter, he loves to cuddle up in the fresh hay in his house. 

He really works to get the hay comfortable and when DH puts more fresh hay, Gordy has to start all over getting it comfortable again.  He really likes to stay busy so we give him things he can't destroy, ie a large plastic ball that is so hard he can't tear it up.  He also likes to rip apart large cardboard boxes.  

When DH goes inside his pen to make repairs to something, he has to keep his tools on top of Gordy's house since Gordy will pick them up and run with them.  He can't eat them so he just runs with them.

I never realized that a P-I-G could be so much fun......and the grands just love him.

Anonymous

He sounds sort of like a dog.  Maybe one of those Kong balls would be a good toy....I think they are indestructible. 

macatacmv

Good luck with the indestructible toys. My dog goes thought them, but sometimes they will last weeks. Just watch them carefully. We have an argcultrial fair here in the 3rd week of August and lots of pigs and hogs are entered. There is always one with a new brood of piglets. There is also a pet show and there is always some mini pot belly pigs and once in a while a full grown one. It is very cute.

Your P-I-G is very cute because of the way you love him and the interaction between you all. Thanks for posting the pics.

The one indestructible toy that my dog has is an old dock line that my son brought home from his job at the shipyard. It has loops woven in on both ends so we can play tug of war and it is so tough that she has been playing with it since  last summer. She loves to run around the yard with it just trailing behind her. Much better than the garden hose that she likes to play with, too. They turn into soaker hoses too quickly.

Yay, marybe on the cat feeling better and eating more. 

chabba

Kong toys are not indestructible, just nearly so IF they are big enough. One rated for 50 lb. dogs lasted our 20 lb dog 10 years. We replaced it with one rated 20 to 30 lbs and he destroyed it in a couple of weeks.

FilterLady

I just love my P-I-G.  The other day, I saw a mini pig.....my DH just looked at me and shook his head.

I'd love to have one of those but I'm afraid my inside cats, especially my little Prissy would kick butt and take names.

She's already the princess of the house and can win any fight with her big brother, Bear.  We also have another big indoor cat named Cry Baby, an inside/outside cat named Bud Ro, an inside/outside named Witchypoo aka "The Witch" and a feral cat, Stubby, that is now a sissy since he got "fixed".  He's a lap cat now, rofl!!

I just love critters of all kinds and we'll be getting some chickens soon!

Have a great night,

LaDonna

Gingerbrew

My big 13 month old poodle boy is now fixed, stitches out, finished. He is less hyper now, and sort of more cuddly loving. 

Last week he bit a friend as I attempted to hand off his leash on the front stairs. Stewie didn't know the friend and started twisting around trying to get away. Our friend is young and strong and pulled Stewie harder and Stewie was totally panicked and bit my friend. More like raked his teeth across him but my friend felt like he had been bit. Stewie is not agressive, never was unless he is barking at the front door. By the next day my friends hand had a 1" long string of pin head size scabs.

I think our friend felt bad for yelling out dog bite because he said no more.  Me, I thought I was going to just die. A few years ago I had a dog I was keeping, bite a newspaper boy and I had him put down. It was a serious bite that left large scars and pulled off the kids back calf. Bad bad bad.   I was so afraid Stewie had suddenly gone bad when I heard "He bit me". I know we must be vigilent and we certainly try to be. Stewie goes to dog training every Sunday morning, he has since he was a puppy. I have had no warning that Stewie is agressive. I have some idea that the entire interaction was flawed and that is how my friend wound up with this scrape of teeth on his hand. Now to figure it out. The idea of ever going through what we went through last time is a horrible thought. I just can't have that ever happen again. I think you all will have some insight into this

Hugs GInger 

camillegal

Ginger it sounds like an accident to me---when our pets are in any type of confusion sometimes they panick a little and their mouth opens ready just in case and sounds like your friend had his hand in the wrong place. U will know if something is going wrong--I'm sure everything will be fine.

Wren44

Ginger, I don't think it's a portent of things to come. If he'd wanted to bite, he would have. It was just an unfortunate chain of events. Stewie may have thought he was being kidnapped.

Gingerbrew

Thanks folks. My DH worked with Stewie at training class changing off with different men. Stewie did panic again but got back under control right away when it becamse obvious to him he was OKAY.   He is leary of men, I never knew that. My Dh is his main caretaker walker feeder and is close to him. We will work more on socialization that doesn't seem scary.   

Now that I think of it he mainly sees My DH, DSIL, and men coming to the door, leaving boxes, or driving noisy machines around the yard. Never coming in the house just seeming threatening.  HM.    Maybe this makes sense. We live where you cant see other houses or the road. He also protects us from small planes flying overhead. :P 

Back to the Olympics. Saw syncronized swimming today for a hile.   Those girls have good lungs.

LAters Ginger.

Layla2525

Wow, that piggie is something else!  What do they eat? I dont mean to sound stupid but you just go down to the feed store and get the piggie chow?  When people have hogs,they feed them corn but then again those people have an intent to eat the hog which I would think you wouldnt do that. I have been reading the Starch Solution by Dr John Mc Dougal and think I could go vegan if the stupid stores would stop piping out the fried chickn fumes.

I am thinkg of getting a young dog,about a 6 mo old Border Collie mix from fiance to keep my Germ Shep company. He is fixed and I work long hours so thought it would be nice to get him a friend. He was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and those dogs were very sick but he survived. Feel so sorry for whomever lost him,he is trained and a wonderful dog. Did jump on me when I first got him but I got the Cesar dog trng book and trained the dog outta that bad habit. Think I should get him a "girl friend?"

Gingerbrew

Your German Shepherd would probably enjoy company. Having two dogs has been the norm in our house for years and years. They can get into mischief, sometimes major. Sleeping with two dogs can also be an adventure, yes we sleep with our dogs and of course have a king size bed. 

I hope this works out for you.

Ginger 

FilterLady

Layla:  He eats a powder type food that has corn and other grains in it.  He will not each the regular corn like "real" pigs do, lol.  He loves corn on the cob though!

My Gordy will never be bacon, ham, etc......He's just a big baby.  I never realized how much fun he could be.  I would love to have one of those miniture pigs but my DH would probably have a fit and I know my cats would protest, rofl.

Have a great day,

LaDonna

3jaysmom

hi glals, ive missed you, but too sick to visit . not feeling good yet, but wth!! im really enjpoying all the stories, and i think i've fallen for P-i-g.. WE CAN'T HAVE ANUTHING IN MY CONDOvilla, but we got our babies trained as service dogs, and THOSE  they HAVE to allow..

  my little boy needs a refresher course, since bc..he's too protective now, not like he used to be... he did get along with marybe, but watched her carefully.. im so amused by all the stories, i can't imagine what our lives would be without our furbabies!.. good to "see" you all. 3jays