Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Have A Pet Rat Shes About 2 Years Old. One Day She Was Perfectly…

I have a pet rat shes about 2 years old. One day she was perfectly fine and the next morning we noticed a big lump on the side of her neck. Its getting bigger and is now taking over the side of her face.

1 Response

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Fancy rats are prone to tumors, and I’d be willing to bet that’s what this is.  Please get her to the vet TODAY about this.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
So Lately I’ve Been Thinking About Getting Another Dog. My Current Dog Is A Chihuahua…

So lately I’ve been thinking about getting another dog. My current dog is a Chihuahua and possibly Rat terrier mix; he’s about 13 years old. Before I got him he used to have another chihuahua he always hung around with, but that was when he was around five. He only barks when there is someone making noise outside or that get too close to our fence, the same goes with barking dogs or ones that pass by our house. Other than that he is very friendly with strangers, especially when they come into our yard. He does however, have an issue if dogs come onto his territory, like most dogs do. He has never been to a dog park and has gone to a pet store a couple times, either for shopping or to be groomed. Our neighbors have a dog who barks at everyone and everything, even if I open the back door for a second. My dog occasionally fights with him through the fence, and by that maybe every few weeks. My dog doesn’t bite, growl, nip, scratch or anything at strangers when they come over, even if it’s our pest control. I’m not sure how he will react when we bring another puppy home? We’re either thinking of getting a border collie, lab, doberman pinscher or possibly an italian greyhound. Any tips on what to do when they first meet? Do you think he’ll be alright with another puppy? Any advice helps, thank you!!

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Has he ever been around a puppy?  Are you willing to separate the dogs and rotate which is out, if things go south?

    A warning about dobes, because I have one – they are NOT gentle with littles.  You’ll have to work very hard on teaching a dobe puppy to be gentle with smaller animals – our girl is nearly three and still occasionally stomps my cat.  They’re also tough puppies and are quite literally a full time job until they’re around 2 years of age…I’ll happy talk more about the breed if you want, but I don’t want to flood this particular answer with my babble. 🙂

  2. PK Dennis

    This is how my rescue recommends you introduce a new dog to your home (and I do this with all fosters coming to live with my pack of 4 terriers, one of which is a Cairn/Chihuahua mix):

    Before the new dog arrives pick a place in the home for him to live most of the time for 3 days.  I use my guest bathroom some times, and other times I use my craft room – both have tile floors so it is easy to clean up any accidents that may occur with the new dog.  Inside that room I place a dog crate appropriate in size for the new dog/puppy.  

    For the first 3 days after the new dog arrives, we play musical crates and/or rooms.  I do not allow the dogs to see each other, they only smell each other on me, and under the door, etc.  When my dogs are loose, the new dog is in the prepared room.  When my dogs are crated or in their kennel the new dog is allowed to be out of the room, in the yard, or house with supervision.  There is ALWAYS a closed door between my dogs and the new dog.

    I spend time playing and training the new dog each day, and will crate my boys for an hour or so in the evening so I can just plop on the sofa with the new dog for cuddles.  With a puppy you will need to be spending a lot of time with it as you will not be able to resist!  Spend an equal amount of time with the older dog.  One of the activities you want to focus on with the puppy is learning to walk on a leash – this is critical for the 4th day.

    On the morning of the 4th day, put leashes on both dogs and immediately go out the door for a walk.  Don’t give the dogs time to sniff or eyeball each other – the job is to walk together with you for at least 10 mins.  If the puppy is older keep walking (5 mins. per month of age is a good rule of thumb – too long a walk puts too much stress on the bones and joints of a puppy).

    Once we have finished the walk I take all the dogs into my fenced yard, drop the leashes and allow them to sniff, play, ignore each other as they see fit.  Dragging the leashes allows you to step on a leash or pull one dog away from the other if things get hairy.  

    I have had 99% success with introducing dogs this way.  The only exception was a foster that decided my smallest dog was prey – good thing I had that leash to grab!  It saved my dog’s life.

    We believe the reason it works is that it allows the dogs to smell each other without any misunderstandings of body language.  In the wild a lone wolf will spend weeks haunting a new pack’s territory.  They stay mostly out of sight, but scent mark in the territory.  Then they start showing themselves to the pack from a distance.  Finally they approach members of the pack.  If the pack wants them they are welcomed (usually by the female members of the pack).  So while our dogs are no longer wolves – smell is the first thing they pick up on.  First scent, then sight, then hearing.  So this 3 day of separation, but crossing each other’s scents helps the dogs get to know each other without confrontation.

    With my dogs it works so well, they don’t even sniff each other’s butts once we are done the walk.

    Since your dog is used to fighting through a fence I caution you to make sure that he and the new pup never see each other through a fence or crate during those 3 days.  Keep that solid, shut, door between them.

    Your 13 year old dog may never want to play with the puppy – but the puppy will want to play with him!  Be sure your older dog has a place he can escape the puppy – such as a dog bed or crate, maybe in a different room.  When your Chi is getting too much attention from the pup, tell the puppy to “leave it” and ask him/her to play with you.  This will help the puppy learn to leave the older dog alone when he is in his quite place.

    An Italian greyhound is a better size for your current dog, and they generally are ‘softer’ dogs.  The other 3 breeds you mention will be a real challenge for you, and will overwhelm the Chi.  It is a giant leap going from living with a Chi to living with these 3 other breeds.  They all are high energy, need WAY more exercise, and a lot of training to become good canine citizens.  The Border especially, will need a job.  Borders are scary intelligent.   

    All that being said – give your dog a month with the new pup before you decide if it is going to work or not.  Good luck!

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
Are Foods Containing Baking Soda Harmful To Pet Rats?

Are foods containing baking soda harmful to pet rats?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    i would avoid it.  it’s not worth the risk.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Pet Rat Front Paws Or Feet Are A Bit Scraped Up And Were Bleeding…

My pet rat front paws or feet are a bit scraped up and were bleeding but Isn’t anymore, plus one side of he’s face is puffy and swollen, what do I do?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Abi Murray

    Take him to the vet. If u have another they could have been playing and one could have been a bit hurt by the other.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
This Is A Serious Question, I’m Curious. I Feel That Pet Food These Days Isn’t…

This is a serious question, I’m curious. I feel that pet food these days isn’t that nutritious, and dogs and cats should be hunting for their own food instead of being given this crappy foul tasting “wet food”. In the future, I wanted to buy rabbits, mice, and rats and put them in an enclosure with my dogs to teach them to hunt. Would this be legal? Because I don’t see anything wrong or inhumane about this seeing as people buy live mice for their snakes to eat. So why don’t we do this with dogs and cats? Surely wet food isn’t as good for them?

8 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    instead of buying them from pet stores, look into reptile supply.  they will sell frozen/thawed.  i also cannot say this would be a nutritionally complete diet.  better to fully research raw feeding and put meals together that ARE nutritionally complete.  besides, your house pet does not need to learn to hunt…and depending on the breed of your dog(s), they may fail miserably in this task.  feed a high quality kibble or feed raw, do not feed live rodents.

    and yes, this is considered inhumane, especially considering how it’s basically one step away from animal fighting.  can’t you see how that is problematic?

    it’s inhumane to feed live to reptiles, too…inhumane and irresponsible, as the rats are just as likely to do serious damage to the animals they were intended to feed.

    i cannot fathom why you would only give wet food to your dog.  does your dog have a lot of missing teeth?  or is there a medical reason you’re feeding wet?  

  2. Anonymous

    oh, and another thing: cats are an invasive species, especially in the UK. they already kill too many animals for sport. they do not need to be encouraged to kill for food.

  3. debra yuhasz

    A domestic dog is not a wolf even though they may have ancestry in common. A domestic dog does not have the digestive tract of wolves. Raw fed dogs are fed raw meat but they are not expected to kill their own. Personally my dogs eat what I eat as I feel that pet food is sadly lacking. This includes meat, fish, vegetables and a small amount of pasta and rice. I do not eat rats or mice and I wouldn’t give it to them either. Of my seven dogs only two have a small amount of prey drive. I can’t imagine any of them would know what to do with a raw kill. As for snakes….they are a wild animal. I did have snakes many years ago and they ate live rats and mice because they wouldn’t eat anything else. Dogs are not wild animals.

  4. ポプシクル

    I’m sorry, Laura, I don’t understand where you’re coming from with the whole “inhumane” thing. It wouldn’t be animal fighting purely for entertainment, no. I wanted a hound or working dog to help me to hunt rabbits. Animals are subjected to awful, cruel torture in the meat industry, so I wanted to kill the animal myself. God knows what the chickens in the supermarket experience before they end their miserable lives. Hunting isn’t “inhumane”, it’s natural and incredibly humane compared to the torture that humans put animals through. I feed my dog wet and dry food, but it just seems so nonsensical to me. Hunting would be entertaining for me and the dog.

  5. Anonymous

    It wouldn’t be for entertainment but it would be for entertainment.

    Your ethics are in question. Be glad I lack ban powers. People who justify allowing their animals fight for their personal amusement disgust me.

  6. ポプシクル

    There’s nothing wrong with enjoying hunting, is there? It’s nature, we’re omnivores. So cats disgust you because they hunt birds? I’m not saying I would go out and maim an animal for no reason. That’s sick. Why would I get banned just because we have different opinions? I really don’t see what’s wrong with it, honestly.

  7. Anonymous

    cats should not be outside. they are an invasive species and have hunted many native rodent and bird species to the point where they are endangered. letting cats outside is irresponsible, plain and simple.

    you said you wanted to do this for your entertainment as well as that of your dog. THAT IS PROBLEMATIC. how can you not see this?

  8. ポプシクル

    I’m sorry, I don’t understand. As a person with aspergers, I find it hard to understand other people’s points of view. Stopping a cat from acting out its natural behaviours is cruel. Hindering it from going outside would be like keeping a dog inside. It seems ludicrous to me. Whereas it’s instinct that cannot be stopped for cats, humans are more of an invasive species that hunt thousands of animals to extinction.

    And I am sorry, but I still don’t see how it’s problematic at all. Being out in nature and killing and sharing a meal with my dog is better than eating processed meats is all I’m saying. Sorry if I seem blunt or rude, I’m really not good with communicating. I don’t want to offend anyone c:

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
Hello, My Name Is Zachary And I Am Looking For Help On An Adult Cat…

Hello, my name is Zachary and I am looking for help on an adult cat rectal prolase, anything you can help me with would be greatly appreciated.A few months ago my cat got very sick. He couldn’t drink water or eat. He urinated on himself where he laid. I believe he had perhaps got into a neighbor houses rat poison or maybe antifreeze. After a few days of him being near death, it seemed as though he had came back to himself. He still wouldn’t eat hard food but he drank liquids so I gave him kitten formula because that’s what was available at my local stores. He gained his weight back but there was one persistent problem. He used the litter box constantly. Mostly urinating and he would go back to back several times. And now the rectal prolapse. I understand the treatment for the prolapse but how do I solve the cause of the problem? Is there a certain price the treatment will cost that I should expect? And is there any financial assistance that I can look in to? I know you are in a different state “Im in KY” but maybe something national? Thank you for reading all of this, I really need to know what to expect before I move forward with the issue. Also I found out about you through your youtube channel, keep up the excellent work, Krista.

0 Responses
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
I Have 2 Dogs And 3 Cats. One Dog Is An American Bulldog Mix And…

I have 2 dogs and 3 cats. One dog is an American Bulldog mix and the other is a chihuahua rat terrier mix. I’m trying to house train them to behave around the cats, but it’s not going so well with my elderly cat. The 2 young female cats just run upstairs or up the cat tree if they want to avoid the dogs, but my elderly cat can’t really do that, and he just simply moves maybe 5 steps away in the same room, pretty much feeling trapped. When the dogs approach, first he just shuts down, and if the dogs come close, he hisses and bats at the dogs.
Right now there is a cheap baby gate separating his territory (the dining room and kitchen) from the dog room (the living room) but I’d like to make more areas available to him, since he seems to see all other areas as “not his territory.” If taken to any other room, he kicks the person holding him and escapes. (He can’t jump over the baby gate.)
What should I do in this situation? Is there any hope for getting him to be less uneasy around the other animals?

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    While it’s true that I shouldn’t physically carry him places to see if he likes being in those areas, the point is, if maybe he could see upstairs as a safe place, he would actually have somewhere to run to when he feels threatened by the dogs. I’ve heard that having “cat safe spaces” should help when trying to get cats and dogs used to each other. He definitely does mind a lot when they are in the same room, and I do find him to be afraid. I guess it’s your call though, since I am much newer to cats, so what do I know.

  2. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Well you see, I’d like to allow the dogs to come and go through the house. Right now, they only are allowed in their crates and in the living room under strict supervision, but always having to do that is very draining. I’d like to have them wander around the house one day just like the humans and cats in my house. But I can’t really do that because the cat-dog relations are an issue… However, if Loki would see upstairs as a safe place to be, maybe he could try hanging out up there. But he doesn’t want to. My question is, how can I make more spaces inviting for him, as an elderly declawed cat? He doesn’t seem to be able to go the cat tree because lack of claws.

Question
Profile Image
Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Rat Appears To Be Choking/urging. What Could This Be & What Can I Do…

My rat appears to be choking/urging. What could this be & what can I do to help him? His airway appears to be clear.

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.