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Summer | 3 months ago
My Border Collie 2 Years Old Recently Started Staring At Shadows. She Will Just Sit And Stare …

My border collie 2 years old recently started staring at shadows. She will just sit and stare for hours. When the light moves and the shadow is in a different spot she will move with it. What could be going on? I can’t get her to play or cuddle or anything once she starts staring.
I took her to the vet for bloodwork and everything came back normal.

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  1. Laura

    This sounds like an obsessive behavior. I would be working on training and mental work daily in the hopes this can be curbed.

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I would also ask your vet about the possibility of focal seizures and whether a referral to a neurologist might be helpful.

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Herd | 3 years ago
Household “accidents”, Need Advice, Please!! I Have 3 Cats, 3 Dogs, And A Toddler Human. In The Past …

Household “accidents”, need advice, please!! I have 3 cats, 3 dogs, and a toddler human. In the past few months my two youngest “house trained” dogs (9 & 5 yrs) and my youngest cat (4 yrs) have been purposely relieving themselves in different parts of my house. The dogs poop/pee on the floor, in the past month they began peeing on my couch, it’s gotten so bad I have to keep them in crates most of the time they’re inside. The cat will pee on my toddlers belongings – first on clothes in his laundry basket (which is now inside a closet) and on his stuffed animals (which I had to hide in a bin), now has resorted to peeing on any accessible hard plastic toys. If I put the cat in a kennel she uses the litter box 100% of the time, once releasing her she’ll behave for 1-2 days then starts up again. The dogs will have “accidents” within 10 minutes inside after being outside for 30-60+ minutes. I have 3 litterboxes, each with a different kind of litter, all clean, no diagnosed medical issues (taken all 3 to the vet twice since this started $$$). My oldest dog has been going through dementia for the past year, it’s getting worse but not yet at the point of euthanasia. I started preparing to move the past 6 months, house is almost done being packed/cleared. I’m not sure which/both/none are triggers for them acting this way. All of them have moved with me before and they never did this on previous moves. Vet prescribed multiple anxiety meds which are not helping at all, they have no other solutions to offer. Ironically my 14yr old dog with dementia barely ever has accidents in the house. Personality wise they aren’t acting any different. Messes are thoroughly cleaned immediately and they don’t even bother to do this secretively, all 3 seem to purposely do it right in front of me. The situation is driving me to my wits end, I really need help 🙁 Besides keeping them all in crates I have no other solution. Does anyone have insight to what I can do? Thanks so much!

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    In cases of inappropriate urination we always start with looking for a medical reason and start addressing the behavior possibilities. That means every animal urinating outside the box or inside in unwanted areas gets an exam and a urine check. It might be that one has a urinary issue and is soiling and the rest are following the same behavior because the area now smells like a place to pee. You have to clean so thoroughly they can’t smell residual urine (and remember their noses are so much better than ours!)
    Also rhe stress of moving might be contributing. Or even the stress of the other dogs dementia might be a contributor. I use a lot of calming agent like feliway and DAP and add more litter boxes. Different kinds of litter and even try different kinds of litter. Try not to get angry at them. They think they are doing something completely appropriate and never do anything to make you upset or for spite. (Only humans do those things). If all of that fails you can try an oral behavior modification medication. They have worked well in many cases I have had.

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Debbie Molnar | 5 years ago
I Recently Adopted A 9 Year Old Cat. He Is Very Affectionate And Loves To Be Pet …

I recently adopted a 9 year old cat. He is very affectionate and loves to be pet but he won’t allow me to pick him up or hold him. I haven’t forced the issue, but someday he’s going to need a nail trim or medicine. How do I get him comfortable with being picked up and handled? The rescue paperwork notes the prior owner couldn’t pick him up either. He’s been to the vet and physically he is fine.

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I think a few things help. One and foremost, all good things happen in your presence. For example. Feeding happens near you. And should always be associated with you talking and being present. Next if you can touch him I would scruff and start to pet him to the point he relaxes so he is sort of forced to accept you. Now this is not a perfect plan. If he cannot be touched you should cage him and not allow him to hide and avoid you. My point is every cat is different and every persons expectation is different. If you want him to love you you have to prove to him that you are kind and loving and trustworthy. It means he doesn’t decide to avoid you. You decide to help him through his fears. Does this make sense?

    1. Debbie Molnar Post author

      Thank you for the response. He’s fine with everything but being picked up and held. I can pet him all over, rub his tummy, and play with his feet just don’t try and pick him up. He’ll sit on my lap for hours at a time and purr, it’s just when he feels 2 hands on him you can feel him tense up. I’ll give your suggestions a try.

  2. Laura

    Give it time. Lots of time. Mine wasn’t okay with it at first, either – it took him 6 months before I could pick him up, and another 2 years before he’d let me do nail trims without wrapping him in an afghan and pulling his legs out of the holes.

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Kiya | 5 years ago
Not Sure He Just Isn’t Acting Like His Usual Self & He Won’t Open …

Not sure he just isn’t acting like his usual self & he won’t open his eyes when he does there’s a white lining around them. Also won’t put his tongue in his mouth

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning-
    Did anything occur within the past few hours that might have led to this? Does he go outside or strictly indoor? Do you have other pets that may have contributed to the situation? Is he up to date on vaccines? Are there any meds that he is able to get to? Do you have any type of poison out I.e. any traps, rodent poison, etc.? Does he chew wires or things that he shouldn’t? Have you seen anything out of the ordinary regarding any of this? All important questions. My gut is telling me that he got into something or something got to him. I would get to a vet ASAP with as much information surrounding the situation as you can muster. Best of luck.