Yep, pee is a great fert...but not neat. Diluted by at least 10:1 it is a sovereign plant food...and I do clamber on top of the compost hill for a pee when no-one is around. Truthfully, I find the hidden cat presents far, far worse than any doggie droppings...nothing much wrecks your day as much as plunging your ungloved hands into the soil only to sniff (and feel) that unmistakeable odour of felis domesticus...and if dogs were allowed as much free reign as cats, not to mention the slaughter, they would be caged and muzzled. Always a bit problematic since here in the UK, cats tend not to be house cats as they often are in the US (and not something I could personally condone anyway) and since one's own cats rarely use their own abode as a toilet, it is always a cause of neighbourly wrath in my part of the world when catching that huge red tom from down the road, squatting in my troughs again.

cjhwillis, First off, I would like to point out that while a Doberman or a Rottie may not be a "Bully Dog" most people certainly consider them one. I work with a local Bully Breed rescue and trust me, any large mean looking dog is considered a Bully Breed by the general public. Point made since you are the first one to dispute this classification! :-) Also, when I was naming all the large breeds you mentioned I was doing so because the OP had stated that all dogs large enough to kill should be eradicated!!!!!! In addition, the Doberman also comes from Great Dane descent. There are also many, many dogs that have these different descents. I don't agree that because a breed has a bully breed in its descent that makes it a bully breed. Which brings me to my next point, (since we are getting down to specifics) you are misinformed on what technically is a Bully Breed. Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds of dog dating back to Aristotle, Philip the Second, Alexander the Great, etc. / 400 - 300 B.C. Too many breeds to list have Mastiff in their ancestry. The only Mastiff that is considered a Bully Breed is the Bull Mastiff coming from a Mastiff and Bulldog descent. A bully breed has all to do with being of Bulldog descent, not Mastiff. Bulldogs were originally bred to fight Bulls in the Arena (hence their name) and was developed in the 13th century. Yes, they are of Asiatic Mastiff descent yet, as I mentioned, Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds and there are too many dogs to list that are of their descent. Also, in your list of bully breeds you seemed partial to large breeds. You forgot to list the Boston Terrier which was originally called the Boston Bull and is from English White Terrier & English Bulldog descent. Avg. size 15 - 20 lbs. Also, the French Bulldog whose descent is from the Chincha Bulldog. Avg size is 22-28 pounds. Breeds that are classified as Bulldog Breeds (Bully Breeds) are as follows: Boxer, English Bulldog, Old Englishe Bulldogge, Amercian Bulldog, French Bulldog, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, Valley Bulldog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull Mastiff, and Banter Bulldogge. You had listed the Cane Corso Itailiano as a Bully Breed, this breed is of direct descent of the Canis Pugnax (Roman Mollosian), no Bulldog in this breed. A great website for researching breeds is linked below. I recommend it to anyone looking to obtain a new pet dog, the information is invaluable. Cheers Sarah

Agreed, kudos to you for getting a pound puppy. Best thing to do is give it nice long walks everyday. That is the best treat of all. Other than that, most dogs will let you know if they prefer balls over stuffed animals etc. You can go get a sports ball (not a racket ball - they can get caught in a dogs throat) some tennis balls, stuff the kong with carrots, peanut butter, broccoli, cottage cheese - or cubes of Natural balance meat sticks and dog cookies. If you can break it up, you can fit it throught the hole - then fill it up. When it gets hot, you can plug the small hole and fill it full of water, they can also be run through the dishwasher for general cleaning. Watch your dog when it does its business, sometimes treats can give your dog the runs. I have found rope toys to be the longest lasting with my dog, they help clean his teeth, acting like floss. I would avoid any rawhide. If you want to get a syterilized bone or a hoof to start out with, I would try those. Costco also carries a good selection of treats including dried chicken and dried duck. Good luck with your new addition, I hope you post more about how things are going and what you discover about your new pet.

I have many comments and questions, though pretty sure I will not have enough room to list them all. Sure sounds like things did not go well for your kitty the first time around, though there are many parts of your story that are missing. First is why you took him to the vet in the first place. You said something was wrong, but you didn't say what. First question we always ask our clients is 'why did you bring kitty in?'. That helps to get some history and also find out what symptoms the client is most concerned about. Did you cat stop eating? Vomiting? Lethargic? Or was constipation the primary concern? If so, was that what made your bring him in? If so, the veterinarian certainly did not seem to either hear you or pay attention to your primary concerns.. .or was there another primary concern? Either way, an infected tooth is a real concern, but rarely is it the reason a cat is brought in to the vets as most people don't look in their pet's mouths. A tooth has to be pretty badly infected if it is causing symptoms that prompt an owner to bring in a pet (which can happen, but it's not common). And not doing a thorough exam is not a forgivable offense unless he has seen your cat regularly and the concern was minor. But your concerns about constipation should not be ignored… by either your vet or you. Was your cat able to defecate after you went home with the antibiotics for the tooth? If not, it makes sense to either call your vet immediately, complain if needed, or take him somewhere else. If your cat was eating during that time, and defecating, then perhaps he wasn't that constipated. But you said your cat was painful and that should be a concern for both of you that is rather immediate. As someone said above, you need to be your pet's advocate. If something doesn't seem right, you always have the right to ask, complain or see someone else (unless no one else is available). The comment about age is not incorrect, though. A 10 year old cat is an aged cat. In fact, any cat over 8 years old is considered an old cat. You said you knew cats who lived to 19 or longer… those are extreme exceptions. The average life span for a pet cat indoors is about 14.. outdoors is just under 13. That's average… so some cats have to be below that if others live longer than that. We see cats under 10 all the time with age related kidney diseases, cancers, liver failure etc… I can count on 2 hands all the cats I have seen 19 or older and I have seen tens of thousands of cats in my life. Just because one cat makes it that long certainly does not mean other cats should be able to, too. You have to have the right genetics, health, care and luck to live that long as a cat. So a 10 year old cat is an aged cat… though it also does not mean your cat will not be one of those amazing cats that lives to 19. My old roommate's cat lived to 25… oldest cat I have ever seen… yet it was very decrepit and miserable for several of those years and probably should have been let go earlier. Your cat was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease)… a common disease in overweight cats that have been starved, stressed or ill for some time. It does not say why your cat developed hepatic lipidosis… COULD be the constipation, but could be the infected tooth, too. And does usually indicate the patient was not in perfect health to begin with (i.e.. usually overweight, one of the most common illnesses we see in cats). Hepatic lipidosis is much more rare in cats with good weight and/or good health prior to whatever illness/stress lead them to that situation. Though it took you much longer than it should have, you did the right thing by getting a second opinion and, I hope, your kitty ends up recovering and get back to normal. So what should you do about the other vet? Several things come to mind. First is you really need to talk to him or his office and let him/them know what is going on. No way for them to learn what they did is unacceptable unless you do something like that. Secondly you should have the records from your old vet sent to your new vet so the new vet can see what has been done already for your pet's illness and better be able to treat him. And soon after, have your new vet send a 'referral' letter to the old vet with an update on the case. This is a very common situation and promotes healthy communication between professionals, but mostly it allows the 'referring' vet (the original one) to not only see that they screwed up and this ended up being far more serious than they figured, but also the details of just how sick this kitty was and what needed to be done to save him… if nothing else you give him the opportunity to learn from his mistakes and, hopefully, not make them again and end up causing another pet to go through the same sort of disaster. ANd if you still feel the need, you can notify the state board, but there needs to be a lot more information that you have not given here before you will have much of a case that they will care about.