Q. Our APBT has allergies - she's getting tests done in 10 days so we can figure out what it is that she's allergic to. We're picking up some medicine from the vet tomorrow. In the meantime, our vet advised us to try changing her food.
Is there a specific ingredient in dry dog food that causes the most allergies? Any ingredients I should avoid until I figure out what she's allergic to?
She's currently on Canidae All Life Stages - what should we try switching her to?
Any advice would be great.
Is there a specific ingredient in dry dog food that causes the most allergies? Any ingredients I should avoid until I figure out what she's allergic to?
She's currently on Canidae All Life Stages - what should we try switching her to?
Any advice would be great.
A. I believe Canidae just changed their formulation. So that may be the cause. I had a dog with food allergies and I started out by using a food with as few ingredients as I could find such as fish and potato. I agree the protein needs to be from a source you have not used before such as venison, salmon, ostrich, etc. I also did not use a grain for starch, eliminating barley, corn, etc. Potatoes or peas were a good substitue for my dog. I allowed a 6-8 week trial before seeing results. Just my thoughts. Good luck
How do I make my bunny less aggressive?
Q. Adopted a bunny @ 3yrs old. He was aggressive so the vet advised that we should get him neutered. We DID that 3 months ago and he is still really aggressive. He growls when we put our hand in the cage (even with food). We can catch him when he is out of his cage and pet him for a few minutes, then he bites us and takes off. None of our family want to pet him anymore for fear of him biting us.
A. Hi! You probably don't realize this, but you are making some very common mistakes when it comes to handling aggressive rabbits. I have two, one of whom came from an abuse situation and needed a lot of help to overcome her problems.
First, the cage is his safe space. He is a prey animal and he needs to feel comfortable in his home. Do not put your hands in his cage while he is in there. His cage should be set on the floor, so he can jump in and out on his own when you let him out to play. And do let him out to play as much as possible- it will decrease the stress he is feeling. Do all cleaning when he is out playing. Put his food in the cage, then call him back and use a treat to entice him in. All 5 of mine run back to their cages when they see that it's supper time. My newest one took about 3 days to learn the routine and has been great ever since.
Sit or lay on the floor with him and let him approach you. He may jump on you, which is great bunny fun. Don't try to pet him unless he puts his head down for grooming or seems very comfortable. Put toys like newspaper and a treat or two around you to entice him. When he is more comfortable with you feed him small treats out of your hand. Talk to him a lot.
Make sure he has plenty of toys to take his aggression out on. Toys with bells and shredding toys like newspapers or cardboard toilet rolls are great.
Until he is more comfortable with you, do not pick him up unless it's necessary. Most rabbits do not enjoy being picked up- they just aren't as cuddly as they look. It's scary for them. When you do pick him up, give him a treat every time. Once he is more used to you pick him up at least once a week with the same treat routine. Mine now let me pick them up just so they can get the treat!
I've compiled a whole bunch of resources on aggressive rabbits here. You'll find a lot of help in these articles. You are welcome to contact me for more info.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12319&forum_id=17
First, the cage is his safe space. He is a prey animal and he needs to feel comfortable in his home. Do not put your hands in his cage while he is in there. His cage should be set on the floor, so he can jump in and out on his own when you let him out to play. And do let him out to play as much as possible- it will decrease the stress he is feeling. Do all cleaning when he is out playing. Put his food in the cage, then call him back and use a treat to entice him in. All 5 of mine run back to their cages when they see that it's supper time. My newest one took about 3 days to learn the routine and has been great ever since.
Sit or lay on the floor with him and let him approach you. He may jump on you, which is great bunny fun. Don't try to pet him unless he puts his head down for grooming or seems very comfortable. Put toys like newspaper and a treat or two around you to entice him. When he is more comfortable with you feed him small treats out of your hand. Talk to him a lot.
Make sure he has plenty of toys to take his aggression out on. Toys with bells and shredding toys like newspapers or cardboard toilet rolls are great.
Until he is more comfortable with you, do not pick him up unless it's necessary. Most rabbits do not enjoy being picked up- they just aren't as cuddly as they look. It's scary for them. When you do pick him up, give him a treat every time. Once he is more used to you pick him up at least once a week with the same treat routine. Mine now let me pick them up just so they can get the treat!
I've compiled a whole bunch of resources on aggressive rabbits here. You'll find a lot of help in these articles. You are welcome to contact me for more info.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12319&forum_id=17
How do I keep my health restricted Bull mastiff entertained?
Q. My mastiff is now 8 months old. About a 6 weeks ago he was diagnosed with Panosteitis by 2 different vets. Both vets advised us that we should keep him very non-active: no running, hard play, long walks, or any unnecessary up and down stairs (we live on the 4th floor). Along with inactivity he is being treated with anti inflammatory medication. My current problem is he now wants to chew EVERYTHING. He has seen a behavioral specialist who says he is bored, any ideas on how to keep him entertained enough to keep him from chewing things? He has more toys and chew items that would make anyone jealous, I'm not sure what else to do.
A. Bless him! We've just had similar with a 4 mth old GSD. When he was obviously climbing the walls with boredom, I gave him regular short obedience sessions. Making him use his brain will wear him out! Just do simple things like sit, stay, down, leave. We've also taught ours to find his toys when we hide them. Make it fun for him & give him plenty of (small) treats.
what happens to my pet if i let her ruptured ligament go without surgery?
Q. My dog has a ruptured Anterior ligament in her left knee. The vet advises us to take her for surgery but we hear bad things about this surgery. I don't want my pet euthanized for that but I also don't want this surgery done. She is 85 lbs and has been on diets as well. My husband thinks we should "put her down". I feel we shouldn't.
A. the ligament is completely torn, the dog (especially a large dog) is generally treated with surgery. There are several different methods used to repair the knee joint when an anterior ligament is torn. They all entail using synthetic suture material, or a portion of adjacent fibrous tissue to basically re-create the ligament. The suture or tissue is made to extend from the outside lower portion of the femur to the inside upper portion of the tibia. After the surgery, the dog must be strictly confined for 2 weeks. By day 10 after surgery, most dogs touch the toe of the affected leg to the ground and will start bearing minimal weight on the leg. Once the dog has reached this point, it is often very difficult to keep the dog quiet until complete healing has taken place. The dog generally has to be restricted to only leash walking for a minimum of 4-6 more weeks; the exact amount of time depends upon the extent of the injury and the corrective procedure performed. This exercise is extremely important to prevent the surgical correction from tearing. The veterinarian's instructions regarding exercise during the recovery period should be followed very carefully.
In some instances, if the cruciate ligament is only partially torn, the animal is older, has medical conditions which could affect healing, or the owners will not be able to keep the dog quiet for a number of weeks after surgery, medical treatment is used. This basically consists of controlling the dog's activity for 8-12 weeks. Swimming and low-impact exercise (walking) may be done on a controlled basis, as instructed by a veterinarian, to keep up muscle strength. If overweight, the dog should be placed on a reduced-calorie diet. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as carprofen, etodolac, meloxicam, deracoxib, buffered aspirin, or other medications are often used to reduce inflammation in the joint and relieve pain. (Do NOT give your cat aspirin unless prescribed by your veterinarian.) Products containing glucosamine, chondroitin, perna mussel, polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, and other chondroprotective agents are often recommended, as well.
If a dog with a ruptured cruciate is not treated, severe degenerative joint disease (arthritis) usually occurs. In addition, because the dog favors the affected leg, he will generally put more weight on the unaffected leg. It is not unusual for the dog to rupture the anterior cruciate ligament on that leg as well because of the increased stress on the leg.
In some instances, if the cruciate ligament is only partially torn, the animal is older, has medical conditions which could affect healing, or the owners will not be able to keep the dog quiet for a number of weeks after surgery, medical treatment is used. This basically consists of controlling the dog's activity for 8-12 weeks. Swimming and low-impact exercise (walking) may be done on a controlled basis, as instructed by a veterinarian, to keep up muscle strength. If overweight, the dog should be placed on a reduced-calorie diet. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as carprofen, etodolac, meloxicam, deracoxib, buffered aspirin, or other medications are often used to reduce inflammation in the joint and relieve pain. (Do NOT give your cat aspirin unless prescribed by your veterinarian.) Products containing glucosamine, chondroitin, perna mussel, polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, and other chondroprotective agents are often recommended, as well.
If a dog with a ruptured cruciate is not treated, severe degenerative joint disease (arthritis) usually occurs. In addition, because the dog favors the affected leg, he will generally put more weight on the unaffected leg. It is not unusual for the dog to rupture the anterior cruciate ligament on that leg as well because of the increased stress on the leg.
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