The Pet Thread

I'm starting to feel like I only post to write a novel.....

Chicken/bird bones are something to be worried about because the density is significantly less than mammalian bones. Bird bones are considered pneumatic - they contain air sacs that allow the birds to utilize the bones as part of the respiratory system. The lighter bone density also contributes to lighter body mass, contributing to their ability to fly. Lower density means that they are more likely to splinter when chewed, and have an increased possibility of causing impactions or intestinal perforations. Mammalian (cow, pig, etc.) bones are denser as they don't contain the air sacs, and are therefore less likely to splinter when chewed. As with all things dogs will chew on, the possibility of them breaking off a piece and swallowing it is still a possibility. The busted piece can get lodged at any point in the GI tract, causing significant complications. Supervision while your dog has bones, and monitoring for vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, constipation, or abdominal discomfort is probably a good idea when allowing your dog access to bones.

I fully advocate communicating with your vet and utilizing them as a valuable resource for information. The bullshit rumor that is running rampant through the public about veterinarians receiving kickbacks or free food from pet food companies is just that....bullshit. It has to be purchased as stock to sell in the veterinary hospital, just like other drugs and preventative products. Unfortunately, the only companies that have the funding to conduct food trials and food research are the large companies that everyone hears about (i.e. Purina, Iams, Hills, Royal Canin). The reason veterinarians tend to support these foods is that there is significant research regarding the nutrient profiles of these foods. They are all AAFCO certified (American Association of Feed Control Officials, an independant organization, which is not bought off by the food companies) to be a complete diet for a set group (i.e. adult maintenance, large breed, puppy). In addition, these companies have "prescription diets" which are formulated with nutrient profiles specifically for certain diseases (i.e cardiovascular, hepatic, kidney, diabetes, obesity). This doesn't mean that your vet should ignore all other options out there, or be completely unsupportive of diet choice with reason. A good vet will evaluate your food/diet of choice and discuss with you the pros/cons of it.

Regarding raw diets.....yes, there is a risk of food-borne diseases when feeding raw, most commonly Salmonella*. This does not mean that raw is entirely inappropriate to feed. What it does mean is that you should be aware that it is a risk, and utilize proper food hygiene (i.e washing hands when handling raw food, washing bowls between feedings, don't let your child eat the raw dog food, etc.). The important thing about raw diets is to make sure it is completely balanced to include all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your dog/cat would need to be healthy, which means that you should be consulting with a veterinary nutrition service for an appropriate recipe. Also, there does not seem to be a significant difference between raw diets and home-cooked diets regarding the nutritional profile of the diet, so most vets will choose to go with a cooked, homemade diet when possible to decrease the risk of food-borne zoonotic diseases*.

*References can be provided upon request.

 

Sadly that is not just bullshit. My friend manages a clinic and she is always bitching about these pet food sales reps offering their various brands on a 'consignment' basis. The clinic doesn't have to fork out the cash and these companies get their products displayed for sale. Are you more likely to try a new food from a store, or your vet? Likely your vet for most people. A lot of clinics send these guys packing and some of them don't because they feel they are offering their client's more selection.

So in at least some cases, that new product sitting on your Clinic's shelf is only there because the clinic didn't have to pay upfront for it and not necessarily because the Clinic believes in the product.

 

I don't mean to be a mom, but I got a story: about five years ago, I was at an event for the 4th of July and a dog came running up. It had clearly freaked out over the fireworks and had gotten loose from somewhere, who knows where, but its paws were bleeding a bit from running so hard, and its eyes were bloodshot. It was panting so heavily that it didn't appear to ever lessen its panting rate in the 30 minutes I hung around trying to help (many folks were around). I found out later that it died that night, not sure what the specifics were, but obviously related to its fireworks ordeal.

Many pets freak out over fireworks, so please protect them, some tips below. And remember that dogs can be Houdini's, so really make sure they can't get loose (or hurt themselves trying to get loose) if you're not going to be around during fireworks:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Look-After-Pets-During-Fireworks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.wikihow.com/Look-After-Pets-During-Fireworks</a>

 

This kitty makes me squee at almost anything he does. It's gotten out of hand...he runs across the floor, I squeal with glee. He sleeps, I mentally squeal. Poor thing better be glad I don't dress him up.

 

As much as I hate to say this, I had to come over and say it:

Tonka was hit by a speeder going 50+ mph on our 25 mph road tonight. I don't know why he ran out in the road. I have no idea.

All I know is, he's gone. I feel like a fucking failure. He had a flashing light up collar. He went 200 feet from our house into the road.

I don't know what the hell I'm going to do without him. He's been such a fantastic friend.

 

Holy shit man : (
I don't even know what to say.




Pic of my bird stealing my cereal under the spoiler, but doesn't really feel 'funny' now.

Spoiler

 

Jesus fucking Christ, I'm so sorry. Having only looked at pictures of him here, I somehow miss him too, and though I've lost pets can't imagine what you're feeling. Crikey.

But, as terrible as this is, you are not a fucking failure for it. RIP, Tonka...

 

It's been one week. It still sucks. Here's some video of him:



Vs. the swiffer:



..and pretending he can't find his tennis ball in the snow:

 

My sweet Gus is a year old now. Here he is curled up in a sweet little ball sleeping:



And here is one with his brother Doug - they love each other so much:

 

Maverick has a girlfriend.

Shes a white lab that lives just around the corner from us and is about the same age. Very bloody handy for when im not feeling like a massive walk, i can just drop him off over at her house and they will wrestle basically non-stop until both are completely buggered.

Its funny, hes usually a bit forceful in his play with other dogs. He seems to think should be the one being chased, or holding the ball/stick/rope/whatever but with her its the other way around, its very cute.

He even shares his bone with her (my last blue heeler would have mauled her for even going anywhere near a bone of his).

There'd be more of them actually wrestling but they were mostly just blurs of blue and white fur.

 

A curious Percy-bird, wondering what his dad's up to now.

 

So, our Chihuahua appears to be getting constipated fairly frequently, and having really hard stools. He's on really good food (DCC, I would like to do the BARF thing, but I don't have the storage space for it), so I don't believe it to be that. He weighs about 6 pounds, and I read that giving him canned pumpkin can soften his stools. My question is, how much of that do I give him? He currently gets a little less than a 1/4 cup of food, twice a day.

Thoughts or suggestions welcome.

 

Thanks! Now, here's a picture of our two pups snoozing.

 

So my brother is going to be taking custody of Avett (we got him together) for the foreseeable future. I'm heartbroken that I won't have him around all of the time.

Today we spent some quality time in the yard.

Spoiler

 

My friend was looking at getting a Duck Toller puppy - so I sent her this:

I believe they're now looking at kittens.

Does anyone on here have one of these? (A Duck Toller I mean, not a kitten). Do they actually sound like this?

 

Calliope, TiB. TiB, meet Calliope:



Of course, that's at 2 months old. She's 6 months (and 85 pounds) now. Don't hate on the name, my wife picked it out. We're just going to call her Callie.