Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Pet Rat Hasn’t Really Sneezed As Bad Only Like Once Or Twice For The…

My pet rat Hasn’t really sneezed as bad only like once or twice for the past week he’s been here, but just now he was sneezing a lot over and over, he’s better now, but should I be worried?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Lindsey Knouse

    Hi, I’m not really sure what your question is so you may try re-phrasing it. He was sneezing a lot, then stopped? Was there new bedding or something in his environment? Any discharge from his eyes or nose? Trouble breathing? 

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
Friends, My Beagle, Abby Is On Bed Rest And Will Be For 6-8 Weeks. It’s…

Friends, my beagle, Abby is on bed rest and will be for 6-8 weeks. It’s been a little bit over than a week and I think she is getting fussy/lonely. She would always howl and bark during the day & night. As much as we want to keep her company and be with her 24/7, it’s hard because we all have school, work and other obligations.

When she first started doing this, the family thought there was something wrong and rushed to her side but she just wants to be petted and see people. It’s getting very annoying to having to wake up at 1am because she won’t stop howling or barking, especially when we have to wake up the next day, and sometimes (this is what’s told by my vet) we would ignore her because she has to learn that this might be her life now for a long time and she needs to learn how to self sooth and accept the fact that no one is there to clean her poop or pee right a way…

I understand where my pet is coming from, we cannot communicate with them and they cannot communicate with us. My dog is probably terrified out of her mind as to why she cannot move and has to stay, and truths to be told, I would be bored too if I had to stay in bed for 6-8 weeks. We’ve tried our best to keep her company when we can, but if any owners out there can provide us with some advice as to entertainment wise for pets (maybe a bone she can snack on without gaining so much weight), or some kind of a toy that can keep her entertained, it would be much appreciated.

2 Responses

Comments

  1. dakoda peterson

    Try diapers for one. For two give that dog as much attention you can when your home. Do not give up.

  2. debra yuhasz

    I didn’t read back so I don’t have all the details, but I’ll bet your dog is terrified and looking to you to fix it. Is she in pain? Dogs absolutely do communicate with us. If I told you some of what my dogs do you’d be convinced. All animals communicate with people but you have to “listen”. Her barking and howling and having to soil her crate have her totally stressed and frightened, Her whole life has changed. Your vet should be giving her something for anxiety. Same as with people…stress is a killer. Her howling is a cry for help. How can you ignore that?

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
He’s A Mixed Breed 3 Month And 9 Days Old Pup.. He’s Not A Pet…

He’s a mixed breed 3 month and 9 days old pup.. he’s not a pet .he’s a stray but we wanna save him .

0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
She Is A 5 Month Pomeranian. We Have Taken Her To The Vet And Was…

She is a 5 month Pomeranian. We have taken her to the vet and was prescribed some tonics. But still there is no change. She also loves to eat paper and anything else she can get her paws on. She still hasn’t understood commands like SIT, STAY, etc. I am 15 and she is my first pet.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    she’s the right age for teething, which is when puppies’ gums are sore and eating can be painful.  this is also the age both of my puppies went through a stage where they didn’t want to eat anything, so i would use that as an opportunity for training.  i would put the bowl down and leave it for 15 minutes, and if she doesn’t touch the bowl, pick it back up.  i would use her kibble as training treats so she’s working for it – you should be working on basic obedience right now, anyway, so it’s an ideal opportunity for that.

    once she has all her adult teeth in, she should go back to eating normally.

    i would keep things she shouldn’t eat out of her reach.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
When I Wake Up In The Morning, All 5 Of My Pets Are Crying For…

When I wake up in the morning, all 5 of my pets are crying for their needs and I don’t know what to do? What is the most efficient way to take care of many pets in the morning? What is your personal routine?
I have 2 dogs and 3 cats. The dogs whine in their crates and the cats yowl their heads off..

17 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    better question: what is YOUR daily routine?  more info about the animals in question?  are the cats free fed?  we can help tweak if you share. 🙂

  2. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Well I guess I have to be honest then. : Don’t be too harsh on me.
    I wake up around 8 am to 10 am. I take my dogs outside to pee as soon as I can, but I often can’t, because they cry and I can’t respond to them until they stop crying. I then feed my three cats, the female ones first, then the male one, and this takes about an hour, more or less, because I’m trying to train the cats to stop yowling. The dogs are still whining after this, so I wait for them to stop. I have to wait because every single step I take, every single door I swing, they are very sensitive to, so they start or stop whining according to those sounds. I try not to reinforce the whining. Once the whining eventually stops, I stand up and start walking, but they usually start whining again before I even get to them. I make my large dog lie down and stay in his crate and he doesn’t get it until he does, and I just give it to Coffee since her crate is too small for her to stand in it. I give them water on top of their kibble. It’s the exact same process to wait for the cats to stop as well.
    Back when it was warmer, I used to put the dogs outside until I was done feeding the cats. Since the cats would yowl so much without stopping, I’d usually eat a little something until they stopped. But now the dogs stay in their crates since it’s cold, and it’s become more complicated.
    All animals get specifically measured food. I try to wake up at a reasonable time, but I have issues sleeping and issues waking up (at a time the animals aren’t crying). :

  3. Anonymous

    oof, that’s tough.

    how old are the animals in question? how long have they been in your house, with you? routines can be tough, ESPECIALLY when there’s so much NOISE.

  4. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Bones is almost 2, approximately 19 months. Coffee is about 9 months. Those are the dogs. Callie and Artemis are almost 2. Callie was a stray and is small, so it’s hard to know how old she actually is. Artemis was claimed to be 1 from the previous owner. Loki is approximately 12-13 years old. I’ve had Bones since he was 9 months, but my husband had him for a month before I started living with him. Callie and Loki were the only cats in the house back then. In May 2015, Artemis and Coffee were both added to the household approximately at the same time. Only in the past 4 months I’ve been really getting into training my animals the correct way though. Before this, I’ve never owned cats or multiple animals, just a single dog, and there’s just so much…

  5. Anonymous

    oof, puppies. one puppy is tough enough, but your older dog is still pretty much a puppy. i don’t envy you there!

    i would ignore the cats until the dogs are dealt with. i understand wanting to make them stay in their crates until they stop crying…but i wonder, do you do any training during the day? do they understand that crate is for settling down? i’d maybe work on that when it isn’t early in the morning.

    i’d also ask your husband to help out, if that’s possible.

  6. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Yeah… My mistakes were the /reasons/ I got my pets. Loki and Callie were default for moving in with my husband, those two were his cats. I wanted Bones because I wanted a “dog that would love me since cats are mean,” Artemis because “white cat means marriage” and Coffee because “small puppy needs a good home.” And now I have all these trouble cases because I have so much to deal with lol…
    Yeah! I really REALLY overestimated (underestimated?) Bones because I (my husband too) was convinced that he was an adult, he should know better. But when I started to build a closer relationship with Bones, I realized he is completely a puppy… I realized this especially when he wanted to chew my toes…..
    That is a good tip! Let’s say I wake up at 8 am, then take the dogs to the bathroom outside. Then what do you recommend?
    Well, they stay in their crates because that’s where they sleep. I know some people may find that controversial, but I can’t sleep with them because my husband doesn’t like that, and Coffee also has peed on our expensive mattress several times, and I can’t exactly sleep with them on the couch since it is difficult to stretch out my body. I give them a walk at least once a day, allow them to run around in my 3/4 acre yard at least once a day and try to train some inside manners at least once a day.
    My husband works all day and comes home at 7:30 and his excuse for not being in close vicinity of the dogs is that “he doesn’t want to fight with them.” : So I’m kinda (and preferably..) on my own with this one..

  7. Anonymous

    so, here’s my thought.

    your husband should handle the cats’ breakfasts…especially if he wants nothing to do with the dogs.

    you should handle the dogs’ needs, absolutely, and i would put a lot of work into making them Good Dogs…dogs your husband might want to spend time with! i won’t knock you for crating – i used it for my girl until she was 18 months old because i had a geriatric cat i didn’t want her stomping on in the middle of the night. i also do not sleep with any of my pets, so i won’t knock you there, either.

    you didn’t mention breeds, so i’m going on generalizations here. with breed info i’d be able to tailor this a little better.

    here’s what i would do: get up, take them out. back in, breakfast. back out for a bathroom run. back in, training time! work on basic obedience for now. my favorite thing is “puppy push-ups,” which are sit-stand-down, rinse and repeat for a good 15 minutes or so. randomize it so they don’t start anticipating. after a good 20 minutes or so, i’d start working on a Place command. it’s a way to send them to a bed, a towel, whatever…and stay there. this is HARD for young dogs, and helps them learn when it’s time to settle down. i’d do more training throughout the day – little stuff, here and there, but enough to help them understand what you expect of them.

    what do you mean when you say your husband “doesn’t want to fight with” the dogs? that’s a little distressing, but something that should be fixable with work!

    exercise really depends on the breed, here. so does housebreaking…if Coffee is still urinating in the house, he’s not housebroken and needs some attention in this area. i’d also make sure he is clear of any UTIs.

  8. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Ah, sorry, you didn’t ask. Bones is an American Bulldog mix. To be more specific, his previous owner said “half White English Bulldog and half pit” but considering he said he was a “lab and pit breeder” makes me think he wasn’t exactly trustworthy. He looks like an American Bulldog because he’s large (approximately 80-100 pounds) and he’s got those side lips that stick out. He’s also neutered.
    Coffee is a rat terrier chihuahua mix. She might be mixed with more, as her previous owners claim she’s half shih tzu as well 1/4 of those 2 other breeds, but it’s hard to say. All I know is that she looks exactly like her father, except with drop ears, and her mother looks nothing like a shih tzu, since the mother also had prick ears and was fluffy and brown.
    Loki is Siamese and shorthair stray, Callie is a shorthair stray, and Artemis is Himalayan and shorthair stray if any of that matters, but I think they’re all too mixed for that to even matter lol.

  9. Anonymous

    hmm, so the dogs are vastly different in their breed intentions, which means you MAY need to tailor training to work on their weaknesses.

    i think i’d work on Bones’ obedience. and i mean work HARD on it. bulldogs are stubborn noodges but really seem to excel in rigid structure, based on what i’ve seen. so work on the basics, then increase skills. work on things like rigid heeling. something that might help you here: http://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/obedience-courses (i’m a HUGE fan of Fenzi-style training, especially since you can do it at home)

    for Coffee, keep working on the basics for now. focus on hardcore basic obedience, work on that housebreaking, etc. once she gets more of her brain in the mail, step up the obedience and maybe work on nosework? i’d even consider doing Barn Hunt stuff if you have any local events. it’s a lot of fun, doesn’t involve a LOT of training, and terriers LOVE THE HELL out of it. more info for that can be found here: http://barnhunt.com/

    you didn’t explain the husband’s aversion to the dogs, though. how is he fighting with them?

    you have a Siamese. oh god, the noise. i have a Balinese mix, which is essentially a long hair Siamese, and he’s a NOISY boy. you could always try to work on training the cats (yes, they CAN be trained if you use positive reinforcement!), but i really think you need to focus on the dogs for now. cats are fairly self sufficient as long as they’re fed and watered and their boxes are clean.

  10. Anonymous

    oh, forgot to mention: i would walk Bones a second time, at least, and i would do more yard play. hell, do obedience in the yard – the distractions help work dogs’ brains! Coffee probably shouldn’t be walked too much until she’s fully grown, but she’ll need a bit more exercise than you’re giving her, too.

    i promise, with more frequent and comprehensive training your dogs will be less of a headache for everyone. 🙂

  11. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    My husband isn’t /really/ fighting with them, that’s just what he says. : He thinks it is too hard to teach dogs how to learn. It quite frankly is, because I am still a novice, but he doesn’t even try. It’s been many months since he’s attempted anything close to training them with me. He works and I don’t, so there’s that, but I wish he’d at least try. He views methods that reward as allowing the dog to get away with things and doesn’t always work, and ultimately believes that dogs need a “firm hand.” :
    Honestly, I still think I need to get a better understanding of heeling, because I’ve taught both my dogs to go behind me (as in to take a step back rather than actually right behind me) so I can avoid tripping over them. But then I realized that might not be actually heeling.
    What does housebreaking actually mean..? You mean house manners? Walking and not running, ignoring the cats, not tearing up pillows..? Not really sure if barnhunt is anywhere near me.
    Loki actually doesn’t really make a lot of noise. He’s probably less than half Siamese actually, and only meows when he wants attention or food. It’s the female cats that meow for literally no reason all the time.

  12. Anonymous

    yeah…i’d ask him to involve himself in the cats’ care, and you take over the dogs. if he doesn’t want to be involved with training the dogs, so be it, but i wouldn’t LET him do anything with them henceforth, either.

  13. Anonymous

    oh, and to answer your questions:
    “Honestly, I still think I need to get a better understanding of heeling, because I’ve taught both my dogs to go behind me (as in to take a step back rather than actually right behind me) so I can avoid tripping over them. But then I realized that might not be actually heeling.”
    — as long as you’re happy with how they’re walking, that’s good enough.

    “What does housebreaking actually mean..? You mean house manners? Walking and not running, ignoring the cats, not tearing up pillows..?”
    — housebreaking involves eliminating bowels and bladder in the house. the rest of that is manners, yes, and something that definitely needs daily work. for the record, my 2.5 year old dobe bitch can’t have pillows or blankets without destroying them, so i don’t allow her to have them. i’d work on a strong “leave it” with both of them, especially if they’re going after the cats. running…good luck stopping them from doing that.

    “Not really sure if barnhunt is anywhere near me.”
    — check the website, you never know. 🙂 it’s a fast-growing sport and trials are popping up everywhere.

  14. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    So now that we talked about my situation, how is your morning routine like?

  15. Anonymous

    mine is NOWHERE NEAR as chaotic as yours, as i have one dog and one cat. when i had two cats i had some excessive noise from the feline brigade, but felines in my house are free fed so the dog takes up 99% of my effort and time.

    she gets a quicky around-the-block morning walk and about a half hour of mental work. if i have to leave for the day, she gets another run outside in the yard before i leave, then she’s back out the second i get home. back in, train for a half hour, back out for a longer period of time (this depends entirely on the weather. today she got 20 minutes outside and was DONE after that but we were staring down a blizzard at the time). back in. free time for however long i deem appropriate, more training. because it’s cold we’ll do nosework in the house or my favorite, a fairly free-form game of “find it!” (where i’ll hide things around the house and make her find them). until yesterday we were also in a weekly class. we’re doing some table and tunnel work in the yard right now – i want her to understand what those words mean when she’s faced with different types of the same thing.

    this is enough to keep her happy, but the first year and a half were tough ones. she’s insanely intelligent and needed a LOT more work to keep myself sane. we were in obedience classes almost constantly the first year she was home with us, and i had her in a weekly drop-in class for show training. when she was the age of your younger pup she was in a minimum of 2 classes a week, sometimes 3.

    i need to look for more drop-in classes so i can pop in and out at our leisure…looking for Rally classes as i’d like to start competing in that.

  16. Traci VanScyoc

    I let my dogs out as soon as I wake up. They usually pee immediately and run in. While they pee I get their food in the bowls. As soon as they finish eating I put them right back out. Then while they are out there running around and pooping or whatever I feed the cats so the dogs aren’t bothering them. I have coffee and by the time the cats are done eating the dogs are ready to come in.

  17. Traci VanScyoc

    Also, we take the water bowl away a half hour before bedtime so they don’t chug water and then they don’t have really full bladders all night

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
Hi. I’d Like To Know If My Pet Cat Maggie Has A Collar Bone And…

Hi. I’d like to know if my pet cat Maggie has a collar bone and why are cats so flexible? Thanks.
Ashley W.

0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Have 3 Cats, 2 Dogs And A Small House With No Mud Room, Basement…

I have 3 cats, 2 dogs and a small house with no mud room, basement, hallways, separating doors, or dog or cat proof room. Yes, I know it wasn’t very good planning on my part. I am married and my husband goes to work, while I stay home.
I am a novice dog owner and even more novice at keeping cats as well. My bull breed mix is 80-100 pounds and is almost 2, and my rat terrier chihuahua mix is 9 months. Two of the cats are almost 2, and the senior one is 12.
I need help because it is icy and snowing with snow on the ground, and my dogs can no longer stay outside and wait for me to get to them. They’re unhappy inside their crates, and my eventual goal is to have them roam around the house with no issues with peeing or pooping, no issues of running around everywhere, and no issues of them bothering the cats because my husband doesn’t like it.
I can successfully keep them reasonably calm in the living room while I’m there, and I can get a glass of water or something from the kitchen if I tell them to stay. But issues of them just loose without me looking at both of them is that they will get into things and chew or eat them (stuffed pillows or other stuffed things, garbage, etc), eat cat poop, pee, or jump on the mattresses, which my husband doesn’t like.
The winter is much worse than last year, and keeping track of 5 pets is just so much. If they dogs and cats would get along somehow, I think that would help a lot. I just don’t know what to do concerning the litterbox, because my bull breed mix is very adamant about eating stuff from there unless I change it constantly. So when I let him out of his crate, I do change it, but I can’t trust him to roam around while I’m busy with something, or away. The little dog has issues with escaping her crate and peeing, and bothering the cats.

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Carissa Knight

    Time, they will learn to coexist with each other.
    They may not be best friend but they will be able to be in the same room ect and tolerant each other.

  2. Chris Warnock

    We had 3 cats and then got a dog. Get a pet gate that also has a small door in the bigger gate. Approx $60 at pet smart. Use a strap or something to hold the small door open. Depending on the size of your dog if it can fit through the small door get a bungee cord and use it to make the small door smallerUse the gate to give the cats a totally separate space to “escape” from the dog. We did this and put the litter boxes in that room, and also used that room to feed them. It will take a while for the peace and harmony your hoping for. if your cat has claws I can’t help there ours do not, but I will tell you that your sweet little cat will probably make sounds that seem to be coming from the depths of hell towards the dog ours did. Our dog learned to back down from the cats so we didn’t worry about aggression towards the cats. Good luck and remember to pay equal attention to all of them to prevent jealousy.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Have 2 Siamese Cats, They Both Accidently Ate Raw Rancid Beef On Fri Morning…

I have 2 siamese cats, they both accidently ate raw rancid beef on Fri morning. Since then haven’t eaten, not seen them drinking, looking and feeling sorry for themselves, vomiting and runs, will sit on my knee and quietly purr when petted.

0 Responses
Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Pet Rabbit Keeps Eating His Plastic Water Bucket, What Should I Do? …

My pet rabbit keeps eating his plastic water bucket, what should I do? Is he gonna be ok

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Jana

    If he actually eats it rather than just shreds it, it could make him sick. I think that’s what killed my childhood guinea pig – he was eating everything in sight. I think I’d switch to some heavy-duty unbreakable glass bowl instead or something that is safe and cannot be eaten.

  2. Cassandra Danyluk

    He/she may be missing some minerals.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Dog Is A 45 Lb. German Shepherd Mixed With American Terrier 7 Year Old…

My dog is a 45 lb. German Shepherd mixed with American Terrier 7 year old suffering from something that I don’t know. This started about 4 months ago and has progressed to the point to where he constantly needs a cone on. He cobstantly agressivly licks his underbelly to the point where it has become raw and leathery.at times the area is red and swollen and others its is just leathery looking. Sometimes the area is moist and has a foul odor.recently he has started scratching his nose to the point to where he bleeds and when he is pet he favors those ares.please refer tot the pictures I have included. The vets gave him steroids and antibiotics buy that didn’t seem to help.We have also changed his food as recommended by the vet but nothing changed. the skin scrape of the area also came back negative for bacteria and mites. It sucks that I don’t know what the cause is, please help.

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Jonathan Crockett

    My friend has the same problem have you resolve this problem

  2. Boogaloo Jones

    Is it in the same area? I haven’t resolved the issue as of now, but I plan to find a better vdt but price is a real concern.live paid almost 300$ and have found out nothing concrete.