you need to tell your dog or cat to stop and do something about it
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Indiana Carroll
One Of Our 6 Month Old Kittens Will Suck On The Blanket A Portion Of…
One of our 6 month old kittens will suck on the blanket a portion of the night. Will he outgrow this behavior? Are there any concerns if he doesn’t?
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Sarah That’s adorable! We had one cat, many years ago that sucked on the ear of one of my stuffed animals her entire life… she was fine and never had any issues related to it that I can recall.
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Anonymous As long as he isn’t chewing holes in the blanket and eating the material he chews out of it, I would say this is a minor issue.
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Kari White Post author Thanks it has been a little less frequent and so odd it’s only a plush type blanket at night. It must be soft like like his mom’s fur. No chewing just leaves a wet spot haha
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Anonymous He’s suckling. Happens when mammals are removed from their mothers too soon, and can happen as a self-soothing behavior, particularly at bedtime.
I’ve Just Brought Indigo, My 3.5-year-old Male Cat, From My Father’s Acreage To My One-bedroom…
I’ve just brought Indigo, my 3.5-year-old male cat, from my father’s acreage to my one-bedroom city apartment which I share with two cats already. I knew it would be a handful going in, but Indigo is very, very important to me and I desperately want him to have the longest, healthiest and most love-filled life possible; he was primarily outside, even during cold Canadian winters, and unless I was home to visit, and my father is a way very often which causes me to worry about my pets that get left behind. Indigo’s an extremely confident and friendly cat and I think things have gone quite well considering how huge of a change it’s been. He does not hide, he’s eating and drinking, playing, etc., and is getting less freaked out by traffic noise and neighbors with each passing day. All three cats are getting along very well, although it’s very crowded and I do realize I may need to rehome one of my cats to improve the quality of life for all of them, as well as myself. I also intend to take him out to a park across the street on a harness once it is warmer out so that he still gets to enjoy the outdoors like at home.
My concern is that Indigo’s personality seems to have changed a bit, especially towards me. It’s like he hasn’t forgiven me for bringing him here. He and I have had a special bond and it’s heartbreaking for me to think he’s not happy here, or that I may have harmed our bond. He is usually the sweetest, happiest and most loving cat, but he hasn’t been very cuddly with me, or really responding/purring when I pet him. I’ve had friends over and he seems to much friendlier with them, even literally walking over me to go sit with someone else. He still sleeps next to me at night, but he just lays down instead of cuddling/kneading first. I’m doing everything I can to make him happy, and I know its still very early on in the new situation to tell (been here less than a week), but I just can’t help but feel that I’ve ruined our bond by bringing him here to keep him safe. How best can I maximize his quality of life and win back my cat’s love?
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
First of all I applaud your devotion to your cats. As you mention he seems to be acclimating amazingly well. Please understand that this is in my opinion the most important part of this situation. Secondly, I do not believe that cats are capable of punishing or holding grudges. So I don’t think that this should be a reason to explain his change in behavior.
Cats are very intuitive and intelligent creatures. He is doing the best he can and he sounds like he is excelling in his ability to adapt and overcome big (really big) changes. Please don’t take anything personally. He doesn’t love you less he just has had to learn to survive differently. Be proud of him for this and be patient. It is the most important part of being a parent. Loving unconditionally and staying devoted through thick and thin. Best of luck.
My 9 Year Old Boxer Had MCT (benign) Surgery On Her Side In The Fall…
My 9 year old Boxer had MCT (benign) surgery on her side in the Fall. Its been healed for months. Overnight a very large growth appeared at the incision site. Egg sized. Its firm and a little warm. The dog is acting normally. Is this urgent? The soonest I can get into my vet is a week from now. I explained the issue when I called the vet’s office, sent pictures and was told it’s not urgent. Perhaps they are thinking its a seroma? Is it okay to wait so long to see a vet? (I like my vet and really don’t want to be a nuisance–nor do I want my pet’s health to suffer.)
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
I am not sure if this is urgent or not as I don’t know what the swelling is due to. Is there any way your vet can refer you to someone who can see you sooner. Just to look at the incision? Hopefully it isn’t anything serious.. but you cannot be sure until your vet (or a vet) looks at it. -
L Baker Thanks so much for the response. I do feel like my dog should be seen sooner but didn’t want my vet to think I was pushy. Thanks for the suggestion to just ask her for a referral.
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L Baker So, just to update, the swelling was a very large post surgical abcess. While I was trying to find a different vet who could see me sooner than my regular vet, the abcess ruptured. My dog was in a lot of pain. I regret not being more persistent with my own vet. When I called and told my regular vet about the rupture, I then got in on an urgent basis. Next time I’ll know to just be a pushy nuisance when I think something is really wrong. I am just sorry I made my dog suffer. (She is now on antibiotics, warm compresses etc and seems to be getting better. Fingers crossed.) Thanks again Dr. Magnifico for the advice.
My Dog Has Had About 10 Seizures Since Last Nite He Is Taking Phenobarbital He…
My dog has had about 10 seizures since last nite he is taking phenobarbital he is 11yrs old
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
Please consider this an emergency and go immediately to your vets office. -
Paul Cullen We did they put Jim on phenobarbital but he still having just as many seizures is der anything we can do or give until we have enuf money to go back to vets we only get paid on Mondays and we brought him Monday gone they put him on phenobarbital 2 2wice a day
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Krista Magnifico Perhaps you can Call the vet and ask for a prescription of Valium? Or another sedative to help manage the seizures like gabapentin? Maybe these can help and be affordable? They are also available at human pharmacies and often are very affordable. Or ask your vet to see you and allow you to make payments. Your pup needs help ASAP.
Hi Everyone! One Of My Pups Is Acting Very Strange. We Took Him On A…
Hi everyone! One of my pups is acting very strange. We took him on a car ride today and on the way home he started acting weird. It’s almost like he’s dizzy and can’t keep his balance. He had a tiny (not even half) of piece of bacon this morning and later hit his head off of the coffee table. I’m not sure if it’s something to be concerned about but I’m just worried!
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Sarah I would get to the vet….
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Anonymous Head trauma would lead to dizziness. Please get that pup to the vet today.
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Emilie Duval I’d definitely get to a vet ASAP.
When Did You Get You’re First Puppy/dog?
When did you get you’re first puppy/dog?
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Anonymous Puppies should be no younger than 8 weeks of age…ideally closer to 10/12 weeks.
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Sarah Potty training is fairl6 straight forward, so long as you put in the effort. Don’t allow time for accidents- in other words, puppy is with you and supervised at all possible times during training. When you see puppy posture to “go” then swiftly take puppy outside and then praise them they will learn quickly.
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Anonymous I like umbilical training – puppy is leashed TO a person when supervised and crated when not supervised. Go out every 20 minutes, at first. As puppy ages you can slowly increase the time between visits outside. This is a pain in the butt, so be prepared – puppies are a full time job for the first year, and the majority of that time is spent doing potty runs outside.
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Emilie Duval If possible get a pup from a breeder who used the misty method. I’ve used it for all my litters and my boy has been fully house trained since 6 weeks old. It makes life a lot easier.
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Sarah All animals require time, care and devotion.
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Anonymous Puppies, regardless of breed, are a pain in the buns for the first year. As I said in your other post, they are a full time job for their first year of life. I would try to assess how much time you have, and determine whether you can spend the majority of your day working with and training a puppy.
I would encourage going to a rescue and getting an adult dog, particularly if this is your first dog. Adults are easier.
Not a lot of information here. In general, cats who stop or refuse using the litter box might do so because of pain. Cats get arthritis too. I’d start with a medical evaluation.