Pet (Veterinary) Clinic

[patricia n]

Hello! I wanted to start a thread to see if there are possibly veterinarians or veterinary students or techs who can help other forum members with pet issues? The idea is very similar to Han Solo and Yittz's Clinic except this will be related to animal health.

I'm not related to the field of animal health in any way, but I figure I'll give this request a shot. Any help will be appreciated.

[remember_Cedric]

Excellent thread, this is. I'm not a med student at all though.

I'm just very glad to know people outthere who cares for the animals' well-being too.

I have little knowledge about animals' health; I know fairly well about the behaviour.

Ladies and gentlemen, keep those contributions coming in.

[dictionary]

remember_Cedric, I take it that you will take questions on animal behavior. Heh.

Sometimes when I walk my dog, she bites on the lease. Why is that? Also, she sits down when she sees other dogs, is that a sign of submission? At times, when I feed her she rubs her nose against the blanket/pillow. What is that supposed to mean?

[remember_Cedric]

Hallooo, dictionary. I try.

Sometimes when I walk my dog, she bites on the lease. Why is that? Also, she sits down when she sees other dogs, is that a sign of submission?

May I know what is her breed?

Bites on her lease: As long as your dog doesn't growl or display an aggressive disposition, it could only mean that she is shy or slightly excited.

Sits down when she sees other dogs: It could be a form of submission or.... it could be she's saying (to that dog) "Hey look, I'm nice and friendly. Let's be friends."

At times, when I feed her she rubs her nose against the blanket/pillow. What is that supposed to mean?

Her nose is itchy or sensitive.

My cat does that too sometimes. He rubs his nose on my shirt conveniently.

[patricia n]

yes! this thread is alive!!!! thanks for helping r_cedric.

my family dog is a shih tzu, and basically he has the small dog syndrome where he thinks he's the leader of the pack. he also is extremely possessive of his toy and food and many times, tried to bite us if we attempt to come near his toy or food. how do i break this habit? he's 5 years old (human years) so i'm afraid he's already set in his ways.

[remember_Cedric]

yes! this thread is alive!!!! thanks for helping r_cedric.

No problemo, Pattie, I thank you for setting up this thread

my family dog is a shih tzu, and basically he has the small dog syndrome where he thinks he's the leader of the pack. he also is extremely possessive of his toy and food and many times, tried to bite us if we attempt to come near his toy or food. how do i break this habit? he's 5 years old (human years) so i'm afraid he's already set in his ways.

His birthday must have fall on somewhere late of June or early July. Ok, I'm kidding.

You need to let the little bugger know who is the boss from day one.

For small to medium sized dogs, they naturally have a petty nature. Have you tried to stand really firm and let him know that a "No" means "No". Simply put, no giving way to him.

[LuNaR]

i actually got a few questions

how do u tell a cat to not scratch you? like how do i make the cat feel comfortable around me?

and how do u tell a cat to not go around the whole house and pee everywhere?

and how do u cut a chicken effectively?

[yittz]

and how do u cut a chicken effectively?

LOL, way to go pissing off Cedric.

[remember_Cedric]

i actually got a few questions

how do u tell a cat to not scratch you? like how do i make the cat feel comfortable around me?

If it's your pet, it shouldn't be scratching you unless you pissed him/her off badly. If it's playing with you, it shouldn't hurt.

If it's a stray, try Catonese.

and how do u tell a cat to not go around the whole house and pee everywhere?

Ditto. Try Catonese.

and how do u cut a chicken effectively?

You should be asking that to a cook. Use a knife?

LOL, way to go pissing off Cedric.

I'm gonna break your jade flute into two, Yittzie Bittzie

[LuNaR]

If it's your pet, it shouldn't be scratching you unless you pissed him/her off badly. If it's playing with you, it shouldn't hurt.

If it's a stray, try Catonese.



Ditto. Try Catonese.



You should be asking that to a cook. Use a knife?



I'm gonna break your jade flute into two, Yittzie Bittzie

its not my pet, but my friends pet everytime i go over there the cat ALWAYS scratch me i guess i'll try cantonese

[remember_Cedric]

its not my pet, but my friends pet everytime i go over there the cat ALWAYS scratch me i guess i'll try cantonese

AH, I see.

There are two possiblities:-

1) The mischeivious cat is inviting you to play. Then he/she starts to play with you, without your consent. But he/she can get alittle too aggressive when he/she plays with you.

2) He/she doesn't like you.

If you haven't provoke the little bugger before, I think 1) is possible. The little bugger would have spat at you (at a warning) before he/she scratches under circumstances of he/she doesn't like you.

Solution that may work: Use your four fingers (together) and smack lightly on the little bugger's head. Strictly, and look firmly at the little bugger, tell a "NO".

Warning: Don't piss the cat off. Unlike dogs, cats bear grouches for (probably) as long as he/she lives. It's proven.

[dictionary]

For small to medium sized dogs, they naturally have a petty nature. Have you tried to stand really firm and let him know that a "No" means "No". Simply put, no giving way to him.

What if that still doesn't work and the dog continues to bite? Dog boot camp maybe? BTW, my dog is a chihuahua mix.

[LuNaR]

AH, I see.

There are two possiblities:-

1) The mischeivious cat is inviting you to play. Then he/she starts to play with you, without your consent. But he/she can get alittle too aggressive when he/she plays with you.

2) He/she doesn't like you.

If you haven't provoke the little bugger before, I think 1) is possible. The little bugger would have spat at you (at a warning) before he/she scratches under circumstances of he/she doesn't like you.

Solution that may work: Use your four fingers (together) and smack lightly on the little bugger's head. Strictly, and look firmly at the little bugger, tell a "NO".

Warning: Don't piss the cat off. Unlike dogs, cats bear grouches for (probably) as long as he/she lives. It's proven.

i dont know, what if it bites my 4 fingers i hate animals

[remember_Cedric]

What if that still doesn't work and the dog continues to bite? Dog boot camp maybe?

I'm not sure if Shih Tzu is suitable for a dog boot camp. In any event, leave the dog boot camp to last resort unless you have a big dog (i.e Golden Retreiver, Roilweiler - the-must-put-to-train, Pittbull, etc).

Shih Tzu has a royalty-like nature that can be too weak to go through trainings. They get easily pampered and become a spoiled brat.

Back to Pat's Shih Tzu, try to spot the dog's weakness and go from there. You know what I mean.

BTW, my dog is a chihuahua mix.

Oops! She might be feeling uncomfortable with the lease on. Probably due to reasons such as the lease is restricting her from what she wants to do or it's simply choking her. Do you only put her on lease when out for walks?

For the smaller versions of Chihuahua mix, it is not advisable to put them on lease. It's not healthy for the pup. They are best to be placed in a bag (for dogs) and only put to run around in garden areas.

Is your dog leased in this way?

click to show/hide spoilers

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And, from your previous question, if she was sitting down with her tail wagging, then she's trying to be friendly. Otherwise, she is displaying a submission disposition. Some small dogs may even shiver when meeting other dogs, especially meeting the much bigger ones.

i dont know, what if it bites my 4 fingers i hate animals

Well, LOL, give a clap in front of its face.....slightly a distance away from the face please (this means Attention!), look firmly at it, show you're annoyed then smack lightly on its head and say No!

Try it, and tell me if it is effective.

Come' on, Lun. Learn to love animals. You may find their love in return unconditional.

[dictionary]

I use a shoulder leash for my dog. Initially I used the neck leash but she got loose from it and almost ran away. Yes, I only put her on a leash when I walk her. Sometimes she stubbornly refuses to follow me and just stands at the corner (when we walk). I have to pick her up and carry her. I have been told I shouldn't pick her up.

She's a good dog overall but she has a problem with biting. She bites and she barks at people in the house. I tried spraying water at her, clapping my hands, do the Ceasar Millan move (the neck thing) but she still barks and bites. Ouch!

[junny]

i dont know, what if it bites my 4 fingers i hate animals

The cat senses that. Cats are intelligent. If you hate animals, they won't like you either. If you want the cat to like you, learn to like him first. Prove that you're not a threat to him. Don't expect the animal to give way to you.

[expression]

My late pet golden retriever never barks at humans. The only instance she ever barked was at a dirty male golden checking her out on the street. She was taught well.

[pemberly]

i've raised some kittens before....so i'll try my best.

how do u tell a cat to not scratch you? like how do i make the cat feel comfortable around me?

and how do u tell a cat to not go around the whole house and pee everywhere?

cats are pretty territorial. since it's not your cat, he/she is probably trying to protect its owner or its turf. when he sees you around more and gets used to you, it should get better. or you can try bribing it with treats. bring a cat treat everytime you come around. if he tries to bite you, and you pull your hand away, it's more likely to snap on you and try to bite you more. try pushing your hand towards its face and it'll get confused and uncomfortable and the biting should stop.

cats pee or spray around the house to mark its territory and find mates. neutering/spaying should help. if that's not an option, some ppl carry a spray bottle of water around and spray the cat everytime they catch it peeing. i don't think this works bc the cat will just be more secretive about it and you can't be everywhere. you can try really washing the areas down with sanitizer and special urine cleaner from the pet store. if you wash it normally, it can still smell where it marked its territory and will try to mark the same place again.

[Sparky ( :]

Guo Xiang ( : and I might be able to answer some bird questions. If anyone else can then I have a question for them. My sisters budgie seems to be holding her foot strangely. There are no markings on her foot that she can see and she doesn't think that it hurts her all the time. She's pretty old for a budgie and she thinks that she might have arthritis. Anyone have a second opinion?

[Sparky ( :]

I have a 4 year old rescue cockatiel. She has a lot of health problems. She has seizures, a deformed nostril, is missing a claw on one of her toes and feathers grow wierd on one of her wings. I took her to the vet and she said she might have ben inbred. So she did a blood test and the next day sent the results. My cockatiel has elevated liver enzymes. What does that mean and what causes it. Otherwise she is fairly healthy, except for her seizures (which only happen once a month) and she isn't very active. But she seems happy and doesn't seem like she is sick or in pain.
Anyone know what's wrong? Please help me.