Ask the Veterinarian!

[Xana44]

ayumi_baby star

why does my cat always throw up?

Most often it is due to hairballs, even if there is no hair in the vomit. Try giving a gel hairball remedy twice a week for two to three weeks and see if it helps.

I have discussed (as well as others) how to slow a cat down eating if that is the cause.

If it is neither of these things, he or she should really see a vet.

[Xana44]

jnixster83

Hi, wow, this is handy... Questions so I don't have to go pay my vet! Thanks!
So, this might seem dumb, but.....
How different is cat food? I mean, does it really matter which food my cat eats?
She seems to vomit Nine Lives up so, I stopped buying that.
ok, thanks

Foods are very variable in their nutrient content (often they meet certain minimums, but not maximums). Many have lots of fillers which will cause vomiting or lots (or odorous) stool. They may also contain more dyes and colorants, etc. Also the more premium brands (Science Diet, Royal Canin, Iams) have done more and longer (often life long) feeding trials on these diets. Science Diet employs more PHd vet nutritionists than any other food company in the US. Some food companies have no vet nutritionists at all! So often you get what you pay for, but not always. Don't pay for a name.

Hope this helps you make your decisions.

Also, remember that the person at the pet store likely has NO training in nutrition, only knows what the sales people have told them, and may be working on a commission or paid extra for selling a certain brand.

[Xana44]

Homicidal Buttsecks

I have a cat question!

[snip]

No new animals have come and gone when this behavior started, it seems out of the blue. Anything I could do to make any of this behavior stop?

The first thing you need to do is take your kitty to the vet for a urinalysis to see if she has developed a bladder infection. We know that stress can interfere with the normal activity of the immune system.

If her urinalysis is normal, then consider behavioral modification and use of ant-ianxiety medications. You will have to discuss these with your vet.

The peeing on your mom's clothes means that the cat likes your mom best. Consider keeping the cat in your mom's room away from the other animals. Also consider the use of a feliway diffuser. It helps to lower stress and decrease tension between cats.

I hope your kitty gets feeling better soon!

[Xana44]

WTF Lord

Hey,I got some questions for my Chinese Firebelly Newt.

He doesnt eat his pellets much: Should i try live foods like bloodworms?

Also,how do I tell from male or female?

Pic: ]http://s589.photobucket.com/albums/ss338/UndeadAwe/?action=view&current=DSC03775.jpg

Unfortunately, I cannot determine the sex of these guys, I just don't know.

Yes, I would try live foods or cut up earthworms or frozen brine shrimp.

I consulted an expert for that tidbit of info. I don't really know that much about newts.

[Xana44]

iLimeade

Hello. I think this is a wonderful little thread and I think you are a wonderful person using your talents to help the people of Gaia. I have always wanted to be a vet. I wanted to know if you had any advice on rats because I'm thinking of getting a pet rat. I already have a cat who is 2 years old and I love him dearly. Is there a way I could get a rat without my cat eating him? My kitty is kind of playful and he likes to attack long things like string, so I'm afraid he might go after a rat's tail.

If the rat is kept mostly in an enclosed habitat and only let out when the cat is not around, it would definitely not be a problem,

That being said...Some cats and rats have cohabitated well together if monitored, You could try introducing them. Often if the cat is introduced to the other pet in a controlled circumstances, they learn that it is not prey.

[Xana44]

vampirekitty_sofe

my cat attacked a bird, ate it, then coughed it back up. if this continues is he gonna get sick or sumthin'? i think he does this alot but this is the first time ive ever really seen it

This is not really that unusual for an animal that does not routinely eat prey. I would not expect this to cause any problems.

[Xana44]

_PrettyJawn_

My lizards toe is swollen and a vet told me to soak him in water so his skin will come off of his toe. Now his nail has come off. will he be okay? Is there anything i need to do?

No. That is really to be expected. His nail should regrow also given time. Make sure the terrain in his habitat is appropriate for him. Definitely no wire flooring.

[Xana44]

15cocopuffs

hello, i'm really glad we have a vet in our community here
i thank you for your effort here in gaia whee
mm, well, you see, i don't really have a health problem with my pets jet but, it is better to know before something bad happens...
i am the proud owner of 14 hamsters in my home. we used to just have 2 (a guy and a gal) they just got babies (12 of them) i am giving away 6 babies when they grow a little
they seem to be perfectly fine now, and the father was taken out of that cage but after the little guys stop feeding from their mom we want to connect the 2 stories cage they have with another cage (that would be 2 houses connected!) we want to just put them all (8 by that time i hope) there

do you think is a good idea? or do i need more space?
and of course the father would be there too =d

That sounds like the habitat would be too densely populated. They would need more space. You also need to separate any males from the females, and I am not sure the males would live together well. Some pet stores will accept hamsters for rehoming; you might consider that.

[Xana44]

dOnTtRuStM3

~And I'll be by your sideWherever you fall
:: (< ::

I have a question. ^^
My dog, has been scratching at her belly like mad, and it looks like a rash, but we're unsure. It seems to be spreading, and we try to put something on it, and it worked for a week, but now it's worse. And it seems to be spreading, is there anything we should do? Or go get it checked face to face with a vet?

In the dead of nightWhenever you call~

If the rash has been there that long, it really needs to be checked out by a vet. Your dog likely needs prescription medications for itch and infection. I hope your pup feels better soon.

[Xana44]

~Alechsa~

15cocopuffs

hello, i'm really glad we have a vet in our community here
i thank you for your effort here in gaia whee
mm, well, you see, i don't really have a health problem with my pets jet but, it is better to know before something bad happens...
i am the proud owner of 14 hamsters in my home. we used to just have 2 (a guy and a gal) they just got babies (12 of them) i am giving away 6 babies when they grow a little
they seem to be perfectly fine now, and the father was taken out of that cage but after the little guys stop feeding from their mom we want to connect the 2 stories cage they have with another cage (that would be 2 houses connected!) we want to just put them all (8 by that time i hope) there

do you think is a good idea? or do i need more space?
and of course the father would be there too =d

I'm not a vet but I love animals and studied up hard about rodents to determine the best species to keep in my living conditions. Hamsters were ruled out for very very similar reasons to this situation. I have a few words of advice regarding this:

1: Unless you want 12+ more hamsters, keep dad from mom from now on.... In fact I recommend sexing (determining the gender) of those babies before they get older than 3 months of age and separating the boys out immediately. A veterinarian will do it for you if you're not sure what to look for. Rodents breed fast and heavy and this'll get expensive and space consuming for you very quickly if you don't separate them ASAP, especially if you're planning to give any pairs away. I'm sure your friends would like advance warning of potential babies and it's honestly irresponsible to allow inbreeding among pets if it's preventable.

2: Mom needs to be left alone as much as possible aside from putting food in there, or you'll have less than 12 young hamsters, nearly all rodents are notorious for eating babies if they get stressed, and a very large litter like 12 is bound to already cause stress for mommy since she's gotta feed a dozen babies and does NOT have a dozen nipples.

3: I'd personally recommend that dad NEVER gets put in with those babies. I don't know what exact breed of hamster you have, but many of them are NOT gregarious and dad may very well kill those new hamsters when they get introduced. He may have to stay in that cage alone for the rest of his (hopefully) long and happy life. If you really want/need to combine them, do so gradually and safely, with a netting so they can sniff each other and get accustomed to each other. It might not even work, so be wary and alert.

I'm sure Xana'll have a lot more to add, but that's my two cents as a rodentia lover heart

This is an excellent answer! Probably better than mine!!

[Twilight_Moon_Racer]

Xana44

Twilight_Moon_Racer

hi i have a rather silly question: i have a 9 year old cockatiel and in the past month or so hes started snoring its really quite but kinda sounds like a cricket. do you know if this is at least somewhat normal. wink

Is he otherwise healthy? Any breathing difficulties while awake? Any nasal discharge?

Have there been any changes in the environment recently? Increased dust, etc.

I suspect that it is not something to worry about unless one of those other things is going on.

ya hes healthy and he only has that sound at night no other time of the day does he sound funny. his nose is always clean though sometimes he has the runs that turn his vent green but we think it might have something to do with his old home you see he was badly mistreated before we got him, poked and prodded little to no food little to no water and he and his house had never been cleaned, took him over a year after we rescued him before he started trusting us and now hes got more personalty then the other cockatiels we have. and as far as i can tell the environment has been the same. and thank you for responding 3nodding

[Xana44]

Niceroad

Hi... I Have a goldes lab mix and he is limping for the last few days...I am wondering since he is old if he doesnt have arthritis in his leg? I can't find anything suspicious in his paw...I love my dog and just want him to be relief and it pains me to see him walking like that...is there something he can take to help him with the pain ?

Most minor acute lameness is due to minor soft tissue injuries (muscle sprains and strains or ligament or tendon injuries). Usually these resolve in a few days with rest. If the lameness is severe (putting no weight on the leg, swelling, severe pain) obviously, the dog needs to see the vet as soon as possible. If the minor lameness goes on for more than a few days, you should give your vet a call. He or she can recommend some over the counter remedies. If the problem seems to be arthritis, adding a glucosamine suppliment is a good idea. You might also consider offering a heated bean bag or warm towel to the dog to warm the joints that seem to be sore. The warmth helps to loosen the joints. Massage can also help.

[Xana44]

Mikaere

This may seem like an odd question, but, does -anyone- have suggestions for Doggy Depression?

We put our 10 year old pug down three weeks ago, and since then, her partner in crime, our Golden Retriever, who's been around the pug since we got her, has been quite off.

She's not eating like she should, though she -is- eating some. She lays around all the time, won't get up to play, hardly ever gets excited anymore, and keeps secluding herself, i.e. avoiding rooms the rest of the family is in. We have no other pets, and getting another is... out of the question for the time being.

She refuses walks, and I don't want to force things on her because she's not exactly being punished, but I don't want to reinforce things in a negative way and -make- her do things.

Any suggestions?

Your vet may be able to prescribe a medication for your dog if the depression seems to be severe. You might also consider the use of a product like DAP or Rescue Remedy. Don't force the walks, but encourage more activity. Do not baby talk to the dog or seem to comfort her too much as the dog will take this as praise for the negative behaviors. Fortunately, most dogs pop out of funks like this after a while. Just keep encouraging her to play and become interactive.

I hope your dog feels better soon.

[Xana44]

Lilibelle Dragonfly

Hi, I was wondering about one of my dogs and my two guinea pigs.
The problem with my dog is that she is still peeing inside during the night, even if we let her out at 12pm and then at 6am. She's almost two years old, and we still are unable to teach her to pee outside, even if she does it during daytime. And she's too small to sleep outside(considering it's almost winter here too). Our other dog is allready four years old and doesn't pee inside. I hope you have a solution.
Second is about my two guinea pigs. I've had them for two months now, and they're still afraid of me. Whenever I try to touch them, they run away as if I was going to eat them or something. I've had guinea pigs befor, and they'd let me touch them as much as I want without being afraid. Is it maybe becaus we got them as adults that they need more time to adapt themself to us? I really hope you can help me.

1. My recommendation would be to crate your dog overnight. Most dogs will not normally mess their crate as they don't want to be so close to it. It may be tough for a few days if she has never been crated before, but stay strong. If she cannot hold her urine even in the crate after a few days, you need to take her to the vet to be checked as she may have a problem with her kidneys or bladder.

2, If your GP's have not had much human contact before you got them, or even worse, had bad experiences, they may be very reluctant to be handled. I would just work with them very slowly. Get them used to your hands being in the cage with out trying to touch them. When they are ok with this, start offering them some tasty treats from your hand. Be sure to be careful not to be bitten. GP bites hurt a lot, I know. When they are more comfortable with that, offer them a treat with one hand and pet them with the other. That way they can be rewarded for letting themselves be touched. Remember that this can be a very long process and sometimes you may have some back slides and be prepared for that.

If your need more information, please post again.

[Xana44]

theVictimofBlood

Okay, well, here it goes. SomThree questions and such.

1-I have a new kitten, we've named her "Bean" she used to be a barn cat. She's very violent and likes to play a lot but my little brother (13yrs) says that her eyes have changed and her pupils are a lot bigger and almost fill her whole iris. I haven't noticed this but that is because the cat will not come near me. So going on what he said, is it normal for a cat's eyes to change like that and why does it happen?

2-My friend also got a new cat and her name is "Hetalia". I don't know why, but she looks very unhealthy to me (the cat, not my friend). She's thinner that "Bean" and she doesn't meow as much. She also sleeps a lot more. My friend is giving away "Hetalia" because she cannot afford this cat (as she already has one names "Holly" wink . I think this cat is sick because of the way it looks but my friend thinks she looks fine. The cat is only six months old and my friend says that she was a stray. If "Hetalia" is sick, could "Holly" get sick too? And are there any ways to easily make sure that "Holly" does not get sick?

3-My neighbors got a new dog and don't feed it too much. It's a bloodhound and its name is "Berutus". I think that they are starving it because it is much thinner than the vet told us our puppy should be. Do, maybe, bloodhounds have a stricter diet than border collies and labs?

1. A cat's pupils will become wide if he or she is scared or over excited. It sounds like she is getting a little excited with the play and is a bit play aggressive. This is natural and your bro should stop the play if he notes her pupils getting large. A cats pupils will also dilate in the dark or lower light.

2. It is possible that Hetalia is indeed sick. Some common disease of young cats are contagious and some are not. Some are contagious, but we vaccinate against them (Holly should be kept up on her vaccines for sure). And some diseases are contagious, but young cats are more likely to catch them than adults. Sorry about the confusing answer, but that is the way it is. The best things to keep Holly safe are to keep her up to date on vaccines, keep the cats separate if possible, and take a sample of Holly's stool to the vet to make sure Hetalia has not given her worms. Has Hetalia been to the vet to be checked? Was she tested for Feline Leukemia virus and for parasites?

3. Different dogs have different metabolic and food needs. And different foods have different caloric densities. So the amount of food fed is not a good way to determine if a dog is being fed enough. You should not be able to see a puppy's ribs and most puppies do not have a tucked waist. If it is an adult, no ribs should be visible and a mildly tucked waist should be evident. If you truly think that your neighbors are starving their dog, you should contact your local police or animal control before the dog becomes any more ill.