The Online Vets‘ quest towards a litter-free existence, continued from part 1
After several days on step 2, which is a solid red bowl that fits inside fake white toilet frame, meaning no access or view of the sparkling toilet water below, we were pretty confident. We have the smartest kittens in the world, after all. I mean Rigby does tricks, she sits, she fetches, and sweet little Mackenzie, well, she just never could do anything wrong and the fact that she somehow convinced Rigby to listen to her without so much as a hiss is proof of her intelligence. Such a sweetie pie.
Anyways, we had the veterinarians’ meeting of the minds conversation where we discuss their future as if we deciding which school to send actual human children to, and we decided our girls are ready for the next step.
Step 3 is the orange bowl, and in the middle of the orange insert, there is a rather large hole. As you go through the steps, you essentially trick the cat into just peeing in the toilet while perched on the rim of the toilet seat. You slowly take away the litter tray and hope they are so used to the toilet, that they accept it and you say cianarra to cat litter–and more importantly, changing it–forever.
And we decided it was time to move onto step 3. Our brilliant kitten minds could handle it! Read the rest of this entry »
Ask a vet: Online vets review their first hand trials and tribulations with the litter kwitter
This is not a product review, a recommendation or endorsement, and I have been in no contacted by or in contact with Litter Kwitter. This is just intended to distract you from your life, desk job, boring partner, etc. for a few moments and share with you the comical adventures of two vets doing their damnedest to toilet train their precious and perfect kittens.
Several months ago while Dr. Jed and I were browsing the aisles of PetSmart, a curious item caught our eye. The Litter Kwitter.
We had watched the episode of Shark Tank where the woman presented her toilet litter contraption to the panel of investors and we had taken note. We had even heard from a few clients that had trained their cats (yes cats, not even young impressionable kittens) to successfully use the toilet!
Note to those considering this feat at home: cleaning this litter box is messier than your typical one. I don’t know why, I think it has something to do with how shallow it is, but it is messy, and there is lots of daily wiping and scrubbing. Not for those with a weak stomach, *insert cough saying Dr. Jed*
Dr. Jed and I looked at each other, back at the colorful box, and in our shopping cart it went.
The instructions say that you can start toilet training them as early as 3 months, as they may be big enough to squat on a toilet at this point, but we didn’t want to traumatize the poor little tykes with an accidental dunk in the old porcelain throne if their kitten coordination and balance still left something to be desired. Read the rest of this entry »
The entertaining chronicles of life as a veterinarian
It was several years ago but I remember that night well. It was 3 AM on a Saturday morning when I was handed a chart for a three-year-old snorting Bulldog name Bennie that was having problems eating and holding down his chow. The confident rascal was known to eat garbage and the owners, a young bickering couple, reported that he had been left unattended the night before and had made a mess of the apartment.
The x-ray showed something large in his stomach displacing food that in all probability was not going to pass. I showed the couple the x-rays and recommended removal through the use of an endoscopic camera. They couldn’t afford that so I told them that there was a small chance that if I made him vomit, I mean, really vomit, that the object may come out the way it came in. They agreed, so I administered the drug and waited.
It’s a question I’ve heard more times than I can remember, and yes, as a dog owner, I too have seen my own dogs (and cats) go outside for a munch of the green stuff, chow down, and often times throw it right back out.
Dogs too often will seek out a natural remedy for their GI ailments, be it if their tummy is upset or if they are feeling a bit bloated and gassy. Typically they will nibble just a bit, but some dogs will graze more.
So why do dogs eat grass and then throw it up?
When they eat the blades of grass, it is believed the tiny “hairs” on the blade tickle the esophagus and stomach as they go do. This then often causes the dog to vomit, which may be just what the doctor ordered if something they ate is upsetting their tummy.
Many household and landscaping plants are poisonous to dogs, and dogs are no better botanists than their people, so make sure they don’t have access to the dangerous herbage.
Typically, dogs will chew and graze more when they are feeling well. The more they chew the grass, the more the blade becomes saturated with saliva, and in becoming so, it is less “tickly” as they swallow. These dogs may just be craving some roughage in their diet, or may find the texture appealing.
Alternatively, the quicker they gulp it down, the more likely they are to throw it right back up.
Just for fun, and in honor of the snow wall that keeps hitting us, Dr. Laci and I went sledding yesterday. It somehow makes the four hours we spent shoveling seem less painful–well, actually we are quite sore, but you know what I mean.
Our guys were not nearly as amused by the sleds as this brave doggy!
Would you take your dogs sledding, or would you be worried about injury? If you have taken them, did they seem to like it?
Ask a vet: Online vets review their first hand trials and tribulations with the litter kwitter
This is not a product review, a recommendation or endorsement, and I have been in no contacted by or in contact with Litter Kwitter. This is just intended to distract you from your life, desk job, boring partner, etc. for a few moments and share with you the comical adventures of two vets doing their damnedest to toilet train their precious and perfect kittens.
Several months ago while Dr. Jed and I were browsing the aisles of PetSmart, a curious item caught our eye. The Litter Kwitter.
We had watched the episode of Shark Tank where the woman presented her toilet litter contraption to the panel of investors and we had taken note. We had even heard from a few clients that had trained their cats (yes cats, not even young impressionable kittens) to successfully use the toilet!
Note to those considering this feat at home: cleaning this litter box is messier than your typical one. I don’t know why, I think it has something to do with how shallow it is, but it is messy, and there is lots of daily wiping and scrubbing. Not for those with a weak stomach.
Dr. Jed and I looked at each other, back at the colorful box, and in our shopping cart it went.
The instructions say that you can start toilet training them as early as 3 months, as they may be big enough to squat on a toilet at this point, but we didn’t want to traumatize the poor little tykes with an accidental dunk in the old porcelain throne if their kitten coordination and balance still left something to be desired. Read the rest of this entry »
Ah, with the weekend full of snow, and the inside fire so warm and cozy, I had the opportunity to read the latest FIDOFriendly magazine and what a treat it was! Keep reading because there is a treat in store for one lucky reader!
In case you’ve been living under a rock or aren’t much of a dog person, FIDOFriendly is a bimonthly travel and lifestyle magazine for dog lovers. There motto is “Leave No Dog Behind,” and the magazine is full of pawesome ways to make that happen.
A couple of articles in this issue really hit home with me. Carol Bryant’s article “You’ve come a long way, Sparky!” made me smile. It reviewed the changes we as pet owners have embraced over the decades: home-cooked dog food, traveling with pets, pets as family members, and considering our furbabies as family members in general. As veterinarians, I cannot imagine practicing in a time when owners did not believe their dogs could feel pain, or let ailments go untreated. And as the world’s first online veterinary hospital, of course we encourage positive change for the world of canines!
Photo by Nutloaf via Flickr
I got a kick out of the “Designer Digs” piece which discusses how dogs influence the type of furniture we fill our homes with. In particular it made me laugh because we have a new couch about to be delivered, and yes, we chose for our pets–heavily distressed leather is slobber, hair, and even grosser bodily fluids friendly! Out with the stained cloth fabric, our pets really do work their way into our hearts and changing our lifestyles (happily, of course).
It’s been less than one year since Apple announced the arrival of the upcoming arrival of the iPad, and yet it seems like it’s been in our lives forever.
What is on your pet’s wishlist: Apple products or the more traditional edible pet-treat variety?
Dr. Jed joined team Apple about six years ago when he purchased a MacBook with the points he had earned on his business card for opening costs of his hospital. This past November, again those points paid off as the iPad entered our lives.
Apple products are taking over the world with their addictive crack-like properties. But wait! It appears that more than humans are susceptible to this addiction.
An iPad game for cats? That’s hardly the half of it. There are currently over 940 cat-related applications available for the iPad, which is ironic since the tablet doesn’t even come with a mouse. From butterfly games, to angry birds (a favorite of Dr. Jed’s), to string games, even a musical piano.
Guestpost By: Jenny Stephens
North Penn Puppy Mill Watch
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a little puppy underneath the tree.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, the cost of two cans of quality dog food a day or a $25.00 weekly food bill for the next 15 years.
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three walks a day or an average of two hours out of every day for the next decade and a half.
Dr. Laci Schaible is a US trained veterinarian with over 15 years experience in small animal medicine and surgery. She writes for numerous pet publications and enjoys educating pet parents to be the best advocate possible for their pet on her company’s website, VetLIVE.com. Dr. Laci's Google Profile+
After several days on step 2, which is a solid red bowl that fits inside fake white toilet frame, meaning no access or view of the sparkling toilet water below, we were pretty confident. We have the smartest kittens in the world, after all. I mean Rigby does tricks, she sits, she fetches, and sweet little Mackenzie, well, she just never could do anything wrong and the fact that she somehow convinced Rigby to listen to her without so much as a hiss is proof of her intelligence. Such a sweetie pie.
This is not a product review, a recommendation or endorsement, and I have been in no contacted by or in contact with Litter Kwitter. This is just intended to distract you from your life, desk job, boring partner, etc. for a few moments and share with you the comical adventures of two vets doing their damnedest to toilet train their precious and perfect kittens.
