about

For the most part I'm good with car and animal related questions, but I'll answer other stuff if its something I feel I know enough about.
Ask me anything, and I'll give it my best shot.

Just dont ask me anything about the chances of you being pregnant.

Or if s/he likes you or not.

Or if you're fat. (I'll say yes no matter what)

advice

i am raising a bluebird from its egg in my house without my parents knowing. i need to know a good website to go on to find out more about them or if you know anything then I'd like to know.

That is NOT a good idea. Blue birds are WILD ANIMALS that are not meant to be domesticated. Living indoors is NOT a good life for a bluebird. Besides, it would make a terrible pet. Bluebirds are notoriously fierce birds, and quite loud.
Besides, your parents will probably flip shit when they find out. Which I guarantee they will.
I suggest you take it to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center, if it hasn't already died (eggs need really specific care to grow properly).

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How hard is it to potty train a siberian huskey? How do I train them? btw im 13/F. Ive trained my chihauhauh to stand on his hind legs and spin on command and to sit on hand command and also to hop and walk on hind legs. So how hard would it be for me to train a siberian huskey? (puppy)
Oh, and do u think renesemee (RA-nez-za-may) is a good name for a girl puppy?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT NAME YOUR DOG RENESEMEE. Dont get me wrong, I liked the books(for the most part) BUT SHE KILLED IT BY NAMING HER RENESEMEE.

Anywho... I actually dont like paper training like the previous poster suggested, cause it lets the dog know that its ok to go to the bathroom in the house. Even if you do successfully get the dog to consistently go outside, it still has that thought that its ok to go in the house.
Youre better off keeping a close eye on her when inside, and taking her out VERY often (preferably to a designated area) and stand there with her until s/he does its business, then reward and praise alot. They get the idea very quickly that that is the proper place to go do their buisness.

I also disagree with your not wanting to crate train. Done PROPERLY it works wonders. If you do it right, the dog will come to think of the crate as its "safe place" kind of like its den. My dog voluntarily sleeps in her crate, and its where she hides when she gets spooked by something.

Also, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR GETTING INTO. Do LOTS of research on the breed you want. One thing youll find about the husky is that they need TONS of physical and mental exercise. They need more than one LONG walk/run a day, or other type of exercise (agility, frisbee, etc...) and if they don;t get enough then they quickly develop bad habits/issues.

S/he'll be fine in the summer if you give it lots of shade and water. Also a nice place to dig up some dirt to lay in would be great(the dirt is colder than the air, helps the dog cool down).

In summary: It's not that hard to potty train any dog, especially a husky as they are fairly intelligent, crate training is the way to go, DO YOUR RESEARCH, and I sure as hell hope that you have your parents support/help in this, cause I dont think you know how much responsibility it is.

AND I VOTE NOOOO ON THE NAME.

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How do you take care of one?
What kind of water do i use for them?
Bottle water or sink water?
How much food do i feed them?
Any other information for me? :D

thanks :D

Try to use google sometime instead of wasting your time here. Not to mention ours.

http://www.aquariumguys.com/betta-fish-care-article.html

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I have a 4 year old half chihuahua, half pomeranian doggie. He's in pretty good health but he scratches a lot. He gets dandruff. Is this natural because of his breed, or should I be concerned?

Hey there, thanks for asking me this question.
As far as I know this is not something that is normal. Thats not to say that it's a serious condition, but its not something that should be ignored.
You can call your vet for more detailed advice, and they might prescribe a specific treatment or product, but If I were you I would just go to the pet store and get some shampoo meant specifically for moisturizing the skin and reducing dandruff.

Good luck!
But if if the shampoo/cream doesn't work or it gets worse, call you're vet.

OH, I almost forgot, Is your dog on any kind of flea/tick preventative? If not then definitely get him on one asap, as fleas could very likely cause this skin issue, and fleas and ticks can spread some pretty serious diseases.

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Hey everyone, I'm back for more answers from you awesome knowledgeable folks. =D
So, the kitty I got Sunday has been incredibly sweet, greets me in the morning rubbing up against my legs and purring, is eating now, thank goodness, and using her litterbox faithfully, though I don't think the litter brand I have is that good (any suggestions are welcome). She would be the perfect kitten, except for the fact that I feel like she's getting kind of violent.
I don't know if she's teething, or if she needs her teeth brushed because her gums are itchy or what (I got her a toothbrush, she was fine with the paste, but won't open her mouth), but she seems to try to bite everything now. When I first got her, she gave kitty kisses and like, licked your fingers, maybe put them in her mouth for a second but never bit down.
She hasn't actually bitten me yet, but I don't want her to think that's okay.
My friend says her family's kittens "chewed on [them] too," and that they outgrew it, so maybe mine will too. I dunno, I just don't want her to think that's okay, y'know? When animals snap at me I get kinda scared, even if they're as little as my Luna.
She also squirms and fights when I try to hold her. She's fine being picked up, but if you hold her she squirms and pushes against you. I think she tried to bite me one time, but she missed. My other friend's cat was like that, but she never tried to bite. She just struggled really hard to get away.
How do you train a cat who won't eat treats? (Maybe the treats are too big for her? She's 11 weeks old)
Any thoughts? I'm so new at this, and really glad I have you guys to ask. Lol
-Siren =)

I agree with misssjulia completely in that this is normal kitty behavior. If your kitten wasnt doing this, frankly i would be concerned.
It is to be expected for a kitten to play bite, but you can let it be known that you do not want it to bite by simply stopping playing with her when she gets mouthy. She'll learn that too much teeth means no playing.

And this part of the answer is to you and anyone else who may read this (regarding the first poster) DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT. It is an extremely barbaric procedure, the human equivalent would be cutting of the first knuckle of your fingers. It is painful, infection prone, and can lead to behavioral issues because of the cat not having claws to defend itself.

Good luck to you and luna! :]

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I'm really interested in getting a dwarf rabbit. I bought a book about the care and keeping of pet rabbits, and it said that it was ideal to keep the door to the cage open eventually, so that the rabbit was free to come and go and wander about the house as it pleased. My question is, is this really necessary? My mom isn't a fan of pets wandering about the house, and I haven't totally convinced her that a rabbit is a good idea. Of course I would let my bunny out to be with me when I was around the house, but would it be a problem if I kept him/her in the cage with the door shut at other times?

Not at all. Its perfectly fine to have a rabbit kept in a cage for a large portion of the day, juts as long as they have enough socialization and exercise out of the cage per day.
You could also restrict it to your room only (as opposed to the whole house) , once it is able to be trusted to use the litter box, and known to not chew your furniture

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ok so my puppy who gets into everything... atleast it seems he does just started bleeding from his butt when he has a bowel move ment he has diarreah with blood in it what should i do and any ideas of what this mught be? HELP ME!!!

The previous poster is wrong, very wrong. Dogs do not get periods like humans do (besides the fact that your dog is a he).

This could be something like digestion issues (could be having a bad reaction to something he ate) or it could be a very serious blockade or intestinal issue.

No one here will be able to help you much, even if they properly diagnose it. The bottom line is that you need to call your vet soon. Very soon, as this may be a serious problem that needs to be taken care of immediately.

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my cat had a heart murmur (irregular heart beat) and the vet said he wouldn't make it through the night but he did. Now he is urinating everywhere. Sometimes its just a little, the next time he is completley soaked in it. What might be wrong with him? Don't tell me too take him to the vet again. I am at the end of the week. I just want more info on what it might be.

There really is no way for someone on this site to diagnose your cat based upon what information you have given or really even at all. I know you don't want to hear this, but you should go to your vet. At least call them and ask a few question. Calling is free advice- its a win win situation.

That being said, your cat could have suffered from bladder damage due to heart problems. Sometimes when one system gets messed up, others do too.

Again, I don't know what the matter is, and no one on this site will be able to diagnose the problem accurately. Even if they say they know for sure, don't believe them. Believe your Vet.

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16/f
my dog got cancer 2 years ago. my dad put tons of money and time into getting her tumors removed every few months. but they kept growing back faster and faster and now they are in her lungs. she has trouble breathing and i feel horrible for her. she is 11 btw and an american bull dog. is there anything i can do for her? she is probably going to die soon. i just want to know if there is anything i can do to help her live longer. and im not sure if she is in pain or not? she flinches when i touch her stomach but other than that she seems normal and fine. she is an extremely strong dog. she has gone through so many operations and she bounces back the same day. is there any way to remove tumors from someones lungs? or does the doctor just not want to do it? i really want her to live. i love her very much.

Unfortunately it is near impossible to surgically remove cancerous growths from the lungs without a large chance of death. Your vet most likely doesnt want to risk it.
You could inquire about radiation treatment (like in humans) but that is very expensive and time consuming. Perhaps the best thing you can do now is to make your dogs remaining life as enjoyable as possible, and remember the good times you've had together.

As to the question on weather or not she is in pain, she most likely is. You could ask the vet for pain medication (most likely Rimadyl, or metacam.)

Good luck to both of you.

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My birthday is on Easter So my boyfriend bought me a rabbit, "Derby". He's a 10 week old Rex/English Angora male. which i've had for three days now. I keep Derby in my room, and he chews the metal bars on his cage around 1 in the morning. It's so loud so I let him out of the cage to roam around my room at night. I want to keep him in my room and to stay in his cage at night. How do I get him to stop chewing on the bars? I bought him apple branch sticks at the pet store so he could chew on those but he doesn't like them.

I bought him a little house that looks like an igloo but he doesn't like to go in it. Do you think he might eventually go in it if I leave it in there?

Also, Since he's a male and hes only 10 weeks old, should I get him neutered? If so, at what age and how much would it cost? I live in Florida if that helps.

Thanks!

Yes, you should get him neutered. From http://www.dennabun.com/Beaker/spayneut.html:

"Like spaying, neutering has several advantages. Neutered male bunnies are more docile and gentle and tend to be far less aggressive. They also tend not to mark territory by spraying and are more willing to cohabitate with another bunny. And, of course, neutered rabbits cannot impregnate does and so will not contribute to the overpopulation problem.

When it comes to the surgery itself, male bunnies sometimes have it a bit easier than the girls. Neuters are fairly simple, straightforward procedures requiring minimal recovery time."

In time he may become accustomed to the igloo, maybe not, you never know.

Some other sites to check out on proper rabbit care are:http://secourslapins.org/care_eng.html , http://www.rabbit.org/ , and http://www.myhouserabbit.com/

Have fun!

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How do you develop a better relationship with your cat?

I try to feed him and play with him but he never seems to want anything to do with me! He snuggles up with my boyfriend instead of me and never wants to sleep with us in the bedroom. He's always been a very independent cat but sometimes I wish he would be a little more affection-friendly. He won't even let me pick him up!!

Generally speaking you cannot get a cat to like you more if it doesn't like you to begin with. Cats are funny like that.

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I have a project on Akitas(since i use to have one along time ago.) And I have questions. What shouldn't I do to an Akita to make it mad or agrresive towards me. And what should i do to an akita to make it LOVE me? How much does it cost a year to take care of an akita(that counts like food, toys, etc.) One more. Im 13 now and i used to have this dog when i was around 7 or so. It is still alive but will it remember me??

Did you even try to find some information on your own? I used google to get this page http://www.google.com/search?q=akita&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a(with links to probably all the info you will need), which means you can too.

Seriously, Google is a wonderful thing. Try it sometime.

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can anyone tell me what food is not good for your dog (human food) this is what my dog get occasionaly:
~coke slushy
~banana~pretty much like almost all fruit except grapes
~ice cream
~pretzel
~honey
~bread
~parts of an oatmeal cookie
~baby carrots (every day)
~(celery (every day)
~Peanutbutter (little everyday with pills he takes for hip displasia)
~um, pretty much like partially almost everything i eat...but not exactaly EVERYTHING
Ps
my dog is very healthy, and not fat, i do not give him all of these things everyday, i just want to know what is harmful to him and whatnot. thanks :-]

In addition to Kc's link (which is a very good source) I would like to add that you should not feed your dog processed foods (except dog food of course). Basically, If it comes out of a package/wrapping and is meant for humans, its not too healthy for dogs.
But, vegetables are very healthy. If your dog willingly eats carrots and celery then good for both of you. They are both more than fine for him to eat.

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slim jim food, is it safe for chihuahua to eat it? which food is good for my chihuahua to eat without gettin sick?

Which food is safe for your dog?
DOG FOOD. Thats what its made for; dogs. If you want to give your dog simple around the house treat, use small peices of sandwich meat, or you could do what most people do and buy DOG treats.
Slim Jims are not good for people, let alone dogs. They are chock full of nasty preservatives, and generally not healthy.
Again, there is a reason that make dog food...To feed it to dogs.

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We have a 19-week-old female standard poodle. We are having problems housetraining her. We got her at about 14 weeks, and we thought that she was trained not to go potty in the house within two weeks. but recently she started going inside the house. It's not because she can't get outside... No! It's happened several times that we will let her out four times within an hour, and then she'll wet inside the house a few minutes later, in plain view. We had trained her to ask to go outside when she needed to go, but she only asks to go outside now when she's bored. But the thing that irks us is we know she can hold her water! We can leave her in her kennel for three hours at a time while we go somewhere, and she won't wet in there. But we come home, let her outside, and five minutes after she gets back inside, she wets! We put her in her kennel and punish her for it, we take the smell out of the carpet, but she still goes inside! What caused this and how can we stop it?

You can, no matter what the dog, get it to do what you want it to. Weather that be going to the bathroom outside, or running trough an obstacle course. It all depends on how you train them, and what incentives you use that the dog looks forward to.

A popular way to train a dog to go to the bathroom outside is to crate it for a couple of hours, then go outside to a designated spot with it (it helps if its kinda out of the way) and literally wait as long as it takes for the dog to do its buisness. When it does you give it lots of praise and a treat, so that it understands that you are pleased when it goes to the bathroom in that spot. The dog is always looking to please its owner, and when you let it know that this is what you want it to do, and that it will get something good out of doing it, it will soon do it without prompt.

This could take some time, but done right it will work.

Good luck.

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How does a dog act if had got poisioned or he had distemper?
Please tell me whats going on with my dog, I don't know whats going on, cause he's showing signs of distemper or he had gotten poisioned.


Yesterday he was inside (he's an outside dog) and he was laying on the floor, and I was going to shut my door, so I said "move twix" and when you say that, he will get up, but it took him a minute, and he walked through the kitched and he was wobbling, like you'd be if you was drunk, and well, we put him out, and he ran to the water bowl and got something to drink really fast, and then, he layed down, and was foaming from the mouth, and the next day he was moaning a little bit, and he wouldn't move at all, it's like he was paralyzed. Well, a few hours later my dad came home, and looked at him, and tried to pick his head up/body but it's like he was dead but still alive, like he couldn't blink or anything. It was like a coma. All he was doing was breathling loudly, and slower&slower. The weird thing is, before all this happened, it was the morning time, he was running around, and he looked perfect.


Well, just a few hours ago, he died. Did he get poisoned, or bit by a snake maybe, or did he have distemper?
If he had distemper, should we bleach our whole yard? Cause we have other dogs.
Thank you so much.

ygsgirl is right, there is now way for us to know exactly what happened, but your vet would might be able to tell.

My two cents is that is sounds an awful lot like he got into rat poison. At my time working in a veterinary hospital I've seen three dogs with rat poisoning, and two of them died. Basically the way rat poison works is that it blocks the production of vitamin K, which is essential to cells to absorb water. In not too long a time the body runs out of water, organs shut down, then the heart or brain fail causing the other to as well.

Check around your yard, shed, garage, neighbors, etc to see if there is any rat poisoning your dog could have gotten into.
But again, this is just speculation, only your vet cab say for sure.

Sorry for your loss,
L

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Hey Hey,

I have recently got a 6 week old Jack Russel Puppy which I have named "Ruffie." We've had him for 3 days and in that time he has done 2 or 3 poo's. He hasn't done one today but has been trying to, he gets in position to do one and just can't. He's weeing as normal. He has been eating tin puppy food and dry dog biscuits. I gave hi a big drink of cow milk as i was told that should make his poo runny. Does anyone know what I can do to help him? Also if there is any treatments i can use on a six week old puppy for fleas.

ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

In terms of the fleas, you should see your vet to get one of the few flea&tick medications, as well as annual vaccines and shots. If you want, you can go to a local pet store, petsmart, or maybe even a grocery store to get a topical shampoo that will kill the fleas, but most likely they will come back unless your puppy has proper protection (from the vets). BUT, make ABSOLUTLEY sure if you do get a flea shampoo, to CHECK THE LABEL to see if it is recommended for a 6 week old dog, if it is not then DO NOT us it, as it could be very harmful.

For the constipation, it doesn't sound like a big deal. If he is like this for more than 24-36 hours then call your vet to make an appointment.

Actually, call your vet now to make an appointment to get annual vaccinations and flea preventatives, and while you're there they can check out the constipation thing.

Good luck.

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I have a 3 year old cockapoo, 20 pounds, female
She keeps shivering and shaking, even if we keep her in a blankets and bedding. Her nose is fairly warm. Besides this, she's acting like herself. When she's playing and romping around she won't shiver. Do I need to take her to the vet? Thank you very much.

You should at least call the vet to see what they think it is.

I doubt anyone her will know previsley what is the matter, but it could be serious, or just as simple as your dog being cold.

Call the vet to see what they have to say, either way its a free opinion.

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i have a cat who is about a year old and I am really worried!
i have never seen her produce a "hairball" i was watching stewart little, and the cat has a hairball and i was wondering if cats have to have hairballs?

Please ANSWER! I am stressing out bigtime about my abnormal kittay!

Your cat is not abnormal; It is perfectly fine for her not to have hairballs. Just because you saw it on Stewart little does not by any means mean that all cats MUST have hairballs.


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i am looking for a english bulldog puppy or a pug. ive tried looking for everywhere but have not succeeded at all so far. i am also looking for a somewhat cheap price because i am on a budget as well. if anyone has puppies in il please let me know thanks
19 f

I fully agree with Daimeera, and would just like to clarify some.

I currently work at an animal hospital, so I think I know what I'm talking about when I say that animals are EXPENSIVE.
Lets go through a list of costs associated with caring for a dog, shall we?
-food
-toys& accessories
-annual vet exams (never under $100 dollars, and often much more)
-vaccinations and preventatives including but certainly not limited to heart worm, flea & tick, and bordatella.
-tests including blood, urine, and fecal.
-emergency costs. My dog has been quilled twice, and each time we walked out of the emergency clinic $300 bucks lighter.
Yes, there are more costs, because any dog, ANY, will have some problem or another that is unforeseeable.

That being said, If you feel like you can afford to care for an amimal well, like daimeera said check local shelters and rescues, also craigslist in your area.

And do not, NOT buy a dog from a pet store. That would be adding to the market for puppy mills. If you are unfamiliar with the term, check here http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/index.html
Or here (this ones kinda graphic, and a disturbing)http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

cheers,
-L

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