For fun: pet question
socks
8 years ago
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blfenton
8 years agomarilyn_c
8 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (29)I'm not personally familiar with the coonhound breed and haven't had a lot of experience with scenthound types - other than the beagle that bit my little dog and has attacked most of the dogs and few of the people in the neighbourhood! I'd guess though, given his age, and the age of the Lab, elderly dog issues are more relevant than breed-specific issues at this point. Your concern re ability to pick up poo completely leads me to wonder if one or more of the dogs have too soft poos? Are the older two dogs on senior diet food? It's a heck of a lot easier to clean up well if the dogs are on good quality age-appropriate food so the poo is firm! If, as is usually the case, the dogs have a particular area of the yard that they have decided is their bathroom spot, that makes it a bit easier to keep the children's play stuff in a different area. Keep all area's cleaned up daily if possible though or the dogs may decide to move their bathroom around! Is the dirty spot you refer to a bathroom area or dirty for some other reason? The introduction of the young dog undoubtedly has been raising pack heirarchy/dominance issues. The mini pin peeing over the other dogs scent is clearly saying he is aiming for top dog status :- ) Is the Lab perhaps rolling in scent marking of the mini pin? The concrete near the door for paw drying etc. is a good idea - make it big enough for all three to mill about and walk off some of the dirt. If it's too small they will wander off and get dirty again. A hose bib there is a good idea too for hosing down the concrete - or the dogs if they are really dirty! I'd vote for grass too. If it's sod you're laying, it won't be as messy to establish as seeding for grass. If the concrete is coming along shortly, a temporary increase in damp feet to dry off shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Don't let them in the house all at once - let one in, grab its collar as it comes through the door, wipe the feet, let it go and process the next one.... I don't like gravel at all - too much of a hassle getting into the grass and garden etc. Our backyard is a mix of grass and bark mulch paths. With healthy dogs on a good diet producing solid poos, there's little left behind on clean-up and not much mulch picked up with it (we use a decicated garden trowel as the pick up tool; it is hosed off after use...) Poo goes out in the regular garbage here too - the 'gray bins' have not been added to the blue and green ones here yet. A tightly sealed garbage container is necessary because regular garbage pick up is every two weeks here. I use one of those Diaper Genie things - make sure you use the thicker toddler strength bags! - it is a handy thing to use to help reduce the potential for odor problems. I'm sure many people reading all this are a bit grossed-out! :-)...See MorePet (Farm)Pig Questions
Comments (6)Hi, Pigs can be a lot of fun to have around and are very smart. For an 8 week out I would mix warm water in her food. They appreciate the warm water in the winter too. Make sure she has access to shade and fresh water at all times. Like most animals, pigs are food motivated. If you plan on keeping this one for a pet you shouldn't feed it as you would a freezer pig. Give her plenty of veggies along with her food and she will enjoy fruits too. As far as bonding with her. Piglets have a reflex to move away from momma pig so they don't get smashed when she lays down. So when you go to pet the piglet make movements toward her from underneath of her. Not by bringing your hand down towards her like you would pat a dog. Come up from the ground with your hand to scratch under her chin and rub her belly. It shouldn't take too long before you can just give her a scratch on her butt or back. They do outgrow that reflex eventually. She might have charged at your daughter because she just isn't sure how to act with people. Set guidelines with her after she has had a little time to settle in. No biting at all is permissable. Tell her NO if she nips. If that doesn't work give her a thump on the nose, but not to hurt or injure her, just to reinforce the NO. As far as having her with the chickens they seem to get along pretty well. I have chickens that sit on the pigs backs. But keeping the pig out of the chicken food will be a problem. Never underestimate a pig that wants to get into a feeder. I think the easiest way of taking care of that is to put the chicken feeder up out of the pigs reach. I'm curious why you didn't get a pot bellied pig. The pots still get big, but not as large as a farm pig. And it has been my experience that the pots aren't as destructive as a farm pig. You need to keep a close watch on the dog and pig. They are natural enemies and when a piglet is squealing even the best dogs get upset enough to attack them. I think that high pitch squeal just plays hell with the dogs ears. Have fun! Carrie...See MoreAnother Sago Palm and pets question
Comments (5)As a veterinarian I see my share of plant toxicoses, and by far the most common is dogs eating this plant... and sadly often with dire consequences. In my opinion cycads are potentially the most dangerous plants to plant in your yard from a toxic-to-dogs point of view... the reason is not because they are the most toxic plants around... not even close... but they do NOT taste bad. in fact, their fruits, which are the most toxic part of the plant, actually taste sweet. I had a puppy in just today that ate all the fruits off a Sago Palm and thankfully vomited most of them up... still needs to be hospitalized and have its liver enzymes monitored. This not-tasting-bad thing is the big problem with cycads... Oleander, Azaleas, Castor Bean etc. are far more toxic, but few dogs are dumb enough to eat things that taste so bad. But sometimes dogs will go crazy and just eat about anything, no matter how bad it tastes (I had a Boston Terrier patient that ate an entire Diffenbachia- not only a horrible tasting plant, but full of painful oxalates... still, it went crazy, ate the hole thing, and died... and Diffenbachias are not known as a super toxic plant). I have tons of cycads in the yard, and occasionally one of my dogs will chew on a leaf, but they have lots of toys that taste better or are more fun to chew on, so I don't get any toxic incidences... I do NOT however let a Sago Palm or Zamia fruit (chop those parts off right away). in terms of danger, however, my spiny plants are more dangerous so I have to keep the dogs from the cacti and spiny agaves....See MoreSad pet question: do pets need a wake?
Comments (19)Oh, KitchenDetective, I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. I had to have my rottie girl euthanized in January after a long bout with cancer. I was devastated even though I had plenty of time to prepare.. and it's only very recently that my other dog has settled into the loss. I wanted to share my experiences because like you, my other dog is a lab and a rescue. I think those two things affect how a pet will respond-- labs are so incredibly social and sensitive to their "pack". My situation was compounded a bit by the fact that Beau, my lab, is very old and deaf. I had no idea how much Grace had assisted him in interacting with his world. They both always greeted me at the door-- but without Grace, Beau doesn't know when I arrive. He doesn't know when I call him for dinner or to go out. While in the old days he used to follow me around the house and be bonded to me, when I adopted Grace, they were much more bonded to each other. The good news is that now, 6 months later, he has become more focused and sensitive to my movements again and we are learning to work together despite the fact that he is deaf. Some of the things I did to help us both get past the grieving was to change some of our routines. Beau was my first dog and we were very well bonded but when Grace came into the picture the two of them were attached at the hip-- not that I was on the outside or unbonded but they definitely had thier own bond. I have spent a lot of time bonding with him again but in new ways (partially because he is now 16-17 yo). He won't go near where they used to sleep (they slept side by side) so I have taken that as a sign that he needed to change things up. I feed him at different times now and in a different spot.. our play is different.. and we walk, relax and bond differently and, of course, more frequently. I didnt share Grace's ashes with Beau-- it was clear to him that she was sick and he knew when she was gone. I don't know if it would have helped.. others in my life have been urging me to adopt another dog or a cat but I just don't have the heart for that right now. Beau is very old for a lab and I know my next loss will be even harder for me to handle. I question myself sometimes..because I DO think he'd do much better with another animal in the house. I don't know if that is an option for you, but it is something to consider. All I can say to you is to read your dog.. and to do what feels right for you, your family and him. My heartfelt hugs to you. I know this is a very hard time for you. I know nothing will make it better for you but I hope you find comfort in knowing there are others who understand your pain....See Morerob333 (zone 7b)
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