MagiStream

Around Christmas time, I'm going to start fostering a rescue dog. I already have a cat and I don't want them to hurt eachother. I need loads of advice about dogs or dogs and cats getting along. can you either pm me or post here please?
thanks

Thanks Brad. I don't have as much experience with rehabbing herps as I do birds, or even mammals. I was well aware that they pretty much just have a brain for survival, and not much else, and I was taking that into consideration. He was drinking- I had put a shallow dish of water next to him after he was back in the cage and warmed up. He took a good long drink right away, which was part of why I just wasn't sure about what to do with him. As of yesterday though, I had him put down. His lower 2/3 were starting to bloat, the damage to his tail had dried out and that seemed to be spreading, and he had a faint odor of death about him, that wasn't just musk. Even if his head didn't want to acknowledge that the rest of him was dead, it was time to let him go. So Rutger is no longer suffering. I just feel bad that I saved him from injuries by one cat, only to have him done in by one of my own. On the other hand, maybe he was just bound and determined to go out suicide by cat, considering how many times he managed to escape his cage. *bittersweet smile*

tygrineheart wrote:Around Christmas time, I'm going to start fostering a rescue dog. I already have a cat and I don't want them to hurt eachother. I need loads of advice about dogs or dogs and cats getting along. can you either pm me or post here please?
thanks

If you haven't already decided on a very specific dog, do some research before choosing. Many rescue dogs already get along with cats. Dog must chase and maul cat is not a guaranteed, automatic thing, despite what TV says. When I've been to the pound looking, most of the dogs will have a bit of a personality profile and one of the questions on it is always "gets along with cats, yes or no". Some do, some don't.
If that's not an option, and even once you bring doggy home - Make sure your cat has a place to escape to. A room where the dog can't get in, a tall cat tower or shelf where kitty can sit and be comfortable, but the dog can't reach them. Cats are comfortable up high.
If possible, get a dog who already has a few basic commands- sit, stay, leave it, down. For the initial introduction, keep the dog on leash, have him at a sit or down stay. Let the cat come in on her own terms. When the dog ignores the cat, praise and give the dog a treat. Looking is fine, straining at the leash is not, but when doggy looks away from the cat, praise and treat. Doggy will quickly learn that not paying attention to the cat brings good thing. Do NOT comfort or praise any kind of negative behavior, you'll just encourage it.
Now, training the cat is much harder. Try having the dog on one side of the room, and encourage kitty to just pass through. She'll probably puff up, and hiss and yowl and most cats will then flee, slinking away, utterly disgusted that this stinky mongrel has been brought into their domain. A few cats will actively attack the dog. In that event, separate them and get a professional training help. Once they've had a chance to at least see that each other exist

Things to help kitty, keep the rest of her routine the same, feedings, cleanings, cuddles, but give her her space if she asks for it. Make absolutely certain her kitty box stays clean. Scrape it twice a day if needed, and use an unscented litter. Many cats resort to going potty elsewhere when they are stressed, so you want to encourage her to keep using the cat box. If possible, bring in blankets or towels that the dog has used a week or two before the dog comes home, place these in areas that the dog will be staying- such as in a kennel. You can also place these near kitty's bed, so that she gets acclimated to the scent of this new animal, with out having to deal with the animal itself. If kitty goes to the bathroom on these blankets, you'll know there may be litter box issues coming when you bring the actual dog home. She's trying to cover up this intruder's scent with her own, because she doesn't want the intruder around.
For another meeting with the dog- again, keep doggy leashed on one side of the room. Encourage kitty into the room, and put down a saucer of slightly warmed tuna or mackerel fish- cats LOVE it, and by warming it slightly, it makes it smell even better. (caution, doggy may want it too, so keep a good grip on him, and tell him to leave it- both the fish and the cat) Kitty ONLY gets this super nummy treat when she is in the same room with the dog. If she wants to growl and carry on while she eats, let her, and try not to laugh too hard at at the funny noises she makes while trying to eat and yell at the same time.
You can also try keeping one pet (preferably the new one) locked behind say a bathroom door, with a good food treat by the door, and offer a good food treat to the other pet on the rest of the house side of the door. If there is a small gap under the door- PERFECT. They can eat their treats in peace, while still smelling and hearing the other animal, thus associating the other pet with good things.
Mostly, it's just going to be patience, and understanding that they may never get along. If she ignores the dog, or just slinks through a room he is in, but behaves the same way she always did before otherwise, that may be the best that you can hope for.
In our house, we've always had a minimum of 5 cats (often more, all indoor/outdoor) and at least 1 dog. We always got our dogs as puppies who were taught to "leave it", and a couple of good swats across the nose from the kitty taught them to leave the cats alone. After that, they've lived in peace. The dogs don't chase the cats, the cats ignore the dogs. We've even had some cats who would throw themselves down in front of the dogs and BEG to play with them- even when all the dog does is shove his nose into their belly trying to find their squeaker!
If the dog chases the cat and will not listen to 'leave it', or return when called, etc- return the dog and try again, but realize that new dogs every few days is going to stress your cat out to the nines, especially if they are all cat aggressive. Ultimately, as much as you may want a dog, the cat is your first priority because she was in the home first. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing ads (such as on Craigslist) for rehoming a 6 year old dog because he's not getting along with the new puppy. No, you *&^%$#@! Get rid of the puppy and keep your older dog. Jeeze. Ok, rant over.
I hope some of that helps.

Sorry to hear that TNHawke, sounds like necrotic tissue. Only shows how tough snakes are. And escapes happen, do not feel bad about that, snakes can get out of seemingly anything, even locked terrariums. They are Houdinis!

"Necrotic tissue" yes, that's the term that was escaping me. Or, with the bloating, the bacteria in his gut started having a heyday when there was no longer a functioning immune system to keep it in check, just like when all dead animals bloat.
I just made myself snerk, and now I'm feeling morbid. "He was only MOSTLY dead."
Considering that when Rutger made his first two escapes, he was completely blind, and was still mostly blind when he made that last one... Houdini Snake indeed!
My brother had a baby corn snake, years ago, a lovely anery. As a 9 inch long baby, that sucker squeezed through a hole made in some 8th inch wire mesh originally for an airline tube to barely squeeze through for some frogs who had the tank before him. literally, the hole was just one cross section of wire removed to make a slightly bigger square for the tubing to fit through, and it wasn't even right at a corner, and there were no tank decorations for him to climb on under it or anything! He escaped through that tiny hole and wasn't found for about 6 months. We don't know if he was eating spiders or just not eating or what. We got him back in the tank, and he escaped through the same hole again, but was found right away. My brother put some duct tape over the hole- not thinking to cover the sticky side that was facing into the cage, and the next time he saw the snake, it was stuck to the lid by the duct tape on top of his head! We ended up taking the snake to the vet who used mineral oil to get the tape off him, and then we bought a new lid and that finally kept him in- but not for lack of trying!

One minute Here's a picture of my baby kitty!



The white and ginger one is mine

Oh, how cute! I am a true cat-lover but I don't own any. But I wish I do.

i have 2 dashound puppies ( there names are giavonna and godiva) and i have a couple parakeets

Lately, my six year old Golden Retriever (Kuda is her name) has been having seizures, and they're starting to worry us. The first one happened after we got back from a two week camping trip at the beginning of the Summer. A few days after we got back, my mom witnessed our dog having it in our garage. I wasn't there, but I got a pretty detailed description of what happened.

My mom left the garage, not knowing what to do, and called my uncle. He came over and came to check on our dog. Her seizure was done by this point, but our dog was confused and didn't know where she was. She was growling at everyone and hiding, and from the sounds of it, it was awful. She even wandered across the street.

We called the vet the next day, and apparently they won't do anything about it if your dog only has a seizure once a month. If they have more then one a month, they'll want to check the dog out.

I was there when our dog had the next seizure. We were on another two week camping trip and she had it within the first four days of being there. After the seizure was done, she returned back to normal. After having a seizure, both times she was very thirsty and didn't know where she was. These two seizures were about a month apart from each other.

Does anyone have any idea what would cause my dog to have seizures? My mom thought it may have been something from when we were camping like the heat, but she had also thought a brain tumor. What else could be causing this?

FrostBurn, I'm very sorry to hear that. I think I will be able to help out, and I hope you don't mind me asking, but what do the seizures look like? Does your dog foam at the mouth? Do her eyes roll back into her head? Does she get stiff at all? If you don't mind telling me, I am pretty good with animals, and my mom's best friend is a vet. I can find out what is causing the seizure, how to control or stop it from happening, and what to do during the seizure to help your dog. Again, I really hope I can help.

I don't mind you asking at all. She does foam around her mouth, but more so with the first seizure my mom tells me. Her eyes somewhat roll back into her head, and she does get pretty stiff during the seizure.