Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with petcare

How can I get my dog to stop gulping his water?

MeghanC — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:29:39 -0800

My new dog's gulping water so quickly that he's making himself sick. How can I get him stop? Yes, I Googled, but most of the answers dealt with gulping food and didn't seem to apply.

Last week, we got a dog, a sweet little terrier mix. He was from animal control, and has clearly had a rough time of it--you can count the knobs on his spine, and he's about the skinniest dog I've ever seen. (And that's after three weeks of regular feedings at the shelter.)

Housebreaking is going well, introducing him to the cats is going well... really, everything is pretty awesome, except that he doesn't seem able to moderate his water intake. Put him in front of a bowl of water, regardless of the size, he'll gulp it all down in moments. He's made himself sick on multiple occasions, gulping the water and then immediately vomiting it back up. How can I get him to stop?

Right now, he's on a leash in the house and it's easy enough to monitor his drinking habits. We're hoping to let him off by this weekend, but we can't do that until we're sure he's not going to make himself sick all the time.

Possibly relevant:
He doesn't mind when the bowl is taken away, just goes on to the next thing.
We have multiple cats, and they use a gravity-fed waterer. Only allowing the dog water on a schedule won't work, as he has access to the cats' water and will drink that if his own is gone.
He seems quite happy and healthy in all other regards, and doesn't seem bothered when he vomits the water back up.
He's urinating regularly with no signs of strain or distress.

What's wrong with my Russian tortoise?

semp — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:27:50 -0800

What's wrong with my Russian tortoise? I picked up Bowser, my new Russian tortoise, this weekend. He was the most active of the lot, and his caretaker said he had quite the appetite as well. Since he got home he's been rather inactive, except when taken outside, and hasn't eaten or drank at all. I've noticed that this is semi-normal while they're still stressed out, but I'm wondering if this might not be more.

I also noticed skin peeling not just around the neck/legs near the shell, but on the face as well. In fact, it looks as if a whole scale (between the eye and the nose) on his face is about to peel off. I know that a tortoise is money and time, much like every other animal, and I already have a vet appointment scheduled for him upon our return home (keeping him in his cage at a friends this weekend, as the closest dealer is several hours away). I also know that I very much want this turtle to survive, and if he's going to require extensive care I would like to return him to his caretaker and point out the problem, as I am sure she would be more than happy (and have better resources) to get any problems he has taken care of.

Any tortoise owners have similar experiences?

Not on the cat.

ilikecookies — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:59:13 -0800

Recommendations for cat-sitting services in Oakland? I would prefer someone who can come to my apartment while I am out of town but if you know of a particularly good boarding service, I'd be happy to hear recommendations for that as well.

I only have one cat and he is healthy so I wouldn't need any specialized medical services.

Thanks!

Owning a dog in the city? What do I need to know?

doppleradar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:46:31 -0800

Owning a dog in the city? What do I need to know? It's been almost a year since my dog passed away and I've been thinking about getting another. I've had dogs my whole life, and volunteer at shelters when I can so I know about the basics of dog ownership, training, etc...

What's new to me is living in a smaller apt (and not having a yard) since I moved to Boston in January. I wouldn't adopt for another 6 months or so, but in the meantime I need to get educated on what it's like to be a dog-owner in a super-urban environment.

Do you get used to picking up the poop? Are dog parks only for purse-dogs? Is it even fair to get a dog if I'll be working most of the day? What am i not thinking of, and what tips/hints/resources/advice do you have for being a responsible pet owner in the city?

Best way to heat my iguana's enclosure?

baphomet — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:01:13 -0800

I have a full-sized iguana enclosure that needs to be heated more effectively. I've been researching my options and I think that using an infrared heat panel is the best way to go, but I'm not sure what size to get for my enclosure. Reptile enthusiasts needed! The enclosure in question is 5' wide, 4' deep, and 6' tall, and contains several vertical and horizontal spaces for basking and climbing. The enclosure is fronted by a sliding glass shower door, is made of oak veneer plywood, and was built by my father and me about 2 years ago.

The problem we're having is that the room the enclosure in is colder than we'd like, and we're having trouble maintaining the correct heat gradient for our 3 year old iguana, Rethgar. Currently using a 125 watt ceramic heat emitter we can get his basking spot to the required temperature range (90-95 degrees, usually sitting at a comfortable 93), but the problem is that this device does not have a very large radius, and most other areas of the cage are cold enough that Rethgar doesn't like to go in them. This, of course, effectively confines him to the basking spot and doesn't give him very many options for thermoregulating (he can do it effectively and is healthy as far as we can tell, but he just doesn't get to move around very much).

Obviously we'd like him to be able to use the entire space, so we're looking at getting an infrared heat panel like the ones here. I'm just wondering what size we need to get to provide the proper gradient of heat for our setup- preferably the ideal setup would heat the basking area to 93-95 while keeping most of the rest of the cage above 85. Does anybody have experience with large cage heating? I should mention that we're in Minnesota, so ambient temperature is a constant challenge.

I was gonna walk the dog...

chlorus — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:58:44 -0800

Is it wrong to get my dog high by blowing marijuana smoke at him? I am asking medically and ethically, of course. He's neutered and very good natured. I have known people that have intentionally 'smoked out' their animals from time to time, and it hasn't seemed to be harmful, but I was just wondering, since it's come up recently.

Help this turtle tiptoe through the tulips

luneray — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:27:06 -0800

How do you trim a pet turtle's toenails? I am asking this question on behalf of a friend.

His pet turtle's toenails are getting rather long and need to be trimmed. Is this something that he can do himself or should he have it done by a vet or??

He lives in Poulsbo, Washington and works in Seattle, so referrals are welcome if anyone knows of a place experienced in reptile care who can trim the critter's nails.

He doesn't know what species of turtle it is.

Can dogs eat beef bones safely?

Peter H — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:12:27 -0800

Can dogs eat beef bones? My dog loves them (the raw discarded sort from butchers or rib joints) but when I give him one he goes crazy, actually consuming the bone and digging into the marrow. It worries me, but I've heard the marrow is good for them. But every time I've given him one I've had to take it away because he just gets too crazy. I know they can't have chicken bones (obviously, ow!) but what are the risks of giving him a beef bone as an occasional primal treat, even if it means he'll likely chew the whole thing up?

Stop Constant Dog Barking?

mhaw — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 19:44:49 -0800

Have a new dog, about a year old... goes crazy, and barks nonstop when we have guests at our home, any suggestions on how to break this habit.