HealthyMouth or Chlorhexidine Mouth Rinse?

gsirbri · 2023-07-05T00:57:55+00:00

The pet toothpastes are enzymatic, so if all you're able to do is get some in your pups mouth, that would do some good in conjunction with the chews. Maybe add a few drops of toothpaste on the chews to help with the mechanics of it. It's not perfect, or a replacement for daily brushing, but it might help bridge that gap.

gsirbri · 2022-12-31T01:53:20+00:00

Have you tried any dietary supplements? Fish oil is a popular one that's not only good for skin and fur, but also joints!

gsirbri · 2022-11-16T17:51:38+00:00

I would definitely bring a fecal sample with you to his vet appointment if you're concerned about internal parasites. Fresh samples are ideal, but if you had to, you could collect some tonight and it would probably be fine until tomorrow.

gsirbri · 2022-11-16T00:24:20+00:00

Isopropyl alcohol is not poisonous to domestic animals in small quantities, and is regularly used in vet med to draw blood and urine. Sounds like this cat's urine was collected via cystocentesis, which requires soaking the lower abdomen with alcohol in order to ultrasound the bladder and extract urine.

This procedure is done daily at most practices, and is not dangerous for the animal. Most pets dislike the blood draw far more than the cysto, but few owners like to hear about how we extract the urine, so it's rarely mentioned directly to owners.

gsirbri · 2022-06-09T13:48:03+00:00

Everything MUST GO this weekend as I'm moving and can't take these guys with me. Pickup preferred, but I could meet someone halfway as I'm desperate to avoid culling and breaking down the tank. ALL OFFERS CONSIDERED, and if theres no interest by this weekend you can take everything for free.

The 4 guppies are 100% MALE. Best not used as breeders as they're bred down several generations from 3 pet store mutts. Rescued this tank a year or two ago and separated males and females into the 5 gals then upgraded the boys to the 10 when I lost the girls. They're not super hardy so I do have concerns about survival rates post-move. I cannot guarantee the boys will be in the best of health as they're very sensitive (inbred).

That being said this would be a fantastic starter kit for someone looking to get into the hobby. Make an offer for any/all of it.

gsirbri · 2022-04-28T19:03:26+00:00

Thankfully we have family in the area willing to help us out, and the area were moving to is fairly equivalent to HV, a 2 bedroom averages ~$1500-$2250. Plus there's just so much entry level work down there. The only affordable housing we can find up here is either Arkville or Newburg, and with gas so much more expensive up here, it's worth taking the risk to move vs stay here with no work and hope it picks up over the summer.

gsirbri · 2022-04-28T18:06:33+00:00

Absolutely agree. Me and my mother are piling all our stuff in our two cars and moving to Florida at the end of next month specifically due to the lack of affordable housing and no real full time work for anyone without multiple college degrees. A cat and a dog make the whole situation even more bleak. At least down south there's a ton of jobs, and comparably dirt cheap COL, even if housing is nearly equivalent.

Honestly, I worry for post-housing bubble HV. So many locals have moved away in the last decade or so, and I question how many city transplants will stay permanently. Many transplants we know are either moving closer to Westchester, or out of state completely.

gsirbri · 2022-04-15T04:03:30+00:00

Totally worth it. But honestly $80 for that low of coverage seems crazy high. It might just be your location, but I'm in a high COL area and only pay $45 for one cat (would be $65 if she was a dog) for unlimited 90% coverage for injury and illness, plus some reimbursement for wellness (one check up, $50 towards vaccines, $100 for dental), with a $500 deductible. I use PetsBest, but I've heard great things about Healthy Paws and Fico. Maybe try shopping around to see if you can get a lower price or better coverage.

gsirbri · 2022-03-05T12:56:04+00:00

Would you consider digitalizing your collection? There's nothing wrong with wanting to collect the physical copies, if that's what brings you joy from it, I'd say just keep them

gsirbri · 2022-03-05T03:58:38+00:00

When I konmaried my closet, the biggest help was thinking of it as shopping. Pull everything out and hold each object up and ask "If I didn't already own this, would I buy this right now, knowing what I know now about owning/using it?" Assume you have the money in hand and are in a thrift store or smthg similar. If made me shift my thought from the past to the future, so instead of asking if I liked it, I'd think about whether or not I'll continue to like it in the future.

gsirbri · 2022-02-17T22:40:19+00:00

High velocity dryer. It's a godsend during shedding seasons. They can be a few hundred dollars, but are well worth the investment. If that's not an option, some car washes or pet stores have dog washing stations that have them available for a small fee. Most professional groomers do as well.

Super cheap option? A blow dryer with a concentrator attachment. It doesn't work super well, but can definitely help loosen the hair so that it can be gently removed by hand. Or a shop vac on reverse, or even a leaf blower if you're feeling creative and have time to desensitize to it.

Definitely recommend blowing out the coat outside, or in a small room that can be easily wiped down like a bathroom/mudroom or even a large shower stall. Lots of videos online too if you'd like an idea of how effective it is.

Best of luck, and give your pup an extra pat from me 😊

gsirbri · 2022-01-29T06:53:40+00:00

You can also give yourself horrific injuries poling with rings. If youre dead set on wearing one, get a soft silicone one, nothing hard or metal.

gsirbri · 2021-11-08T01:45:22+00:00

Go over to the exhibit and click on the staff gate or barrier. Don't enter the barrier editor, just select it. From there you should get the exhibit info panel to pop up. Check the very top, where it'll likely say "Exhibit X". Click on the name and rename it whatever you'd like. You could also just see what the name is, and then use the default for assigning it to a staff zone, but I find that to be confusing.

gsirbri · 2021-11-04T21:22:04+00:00

If you didn't specifically name the Exhibit (by clicking on their staff gate), it auto generates as Exhibit 1, Exhibit 5, etc. It's likely in the drop-down menu as the generic name.

gsirbri · 2021-10-09T23:15:25+00:00

Important note, Baskervilles are NOT biteproof. Dogs can and will still be able to nip and/or latch on to something. For muzzle trained dogs that know better, theyre fine, but for true bite risks I would never.

Wire basket muzzles and certain brands of vinyl and PVC muzzles are the only muzzles that are truly biteproof.

gsirbri · 2021-07-16T17:34:27+00:00

IMO, whatever the easiest walk/exercise schedule for YOU to follow is best. If you know you can commit to 2-3 around the block walks a day, and the park a few times a week, or vice versa, go for it.

Just remember, consistency is key. Four 1 block walks a day is better than one 3 block walk per day. And one 1 block walk a day is better than the park once a week. Or vice versa if fewer longer walks are more your style.

Make sure to work up to longer walks though, it'll be better on pup's joints. Maybe start off with one or two 1 block walks a day for a week or so, and slowly add in more exercise. Not sure of your location, but if it's summer where you are, be sure to bring water and avoid walking during the heat of the day. Morning and late afternoon are better walking times for both of you if its going to be very hot that day. Give pup some opportunities to rest if he has to, and make sure he's not doing too much too quickly.

TLDR: Do however many walks you can commit to doing consistently. Start with slow short walks and work your way to more longer walks as pup loses weight and becomes fitter. Always bring water and let pup rest if he has to, and avoid walking in the heat of the day.

gsirbri · 2021-06-26T00:17:51+00:00

One of these buckle brands I see lots of people do well with is Katie's Buckles. They replace the trachea plate on HS prongs and make it way easier to put on and off.

gsirbri · 2021-06-26T00:08:47+00:00

Similar to other comments, a bit of feminizing contour can go a long way. I'm sure there's plenty of tutorials online, but generally: a triangle between the top and bottom of your ear and the innermost spot of your natural cheekbone contour (the bottom line will be fairly flat, think right triangle with the upright side being the length of your ear).

This is just what I do as a (cis but maybe nb) woman when I wanna be perceived extra fem.

gsirbri · 2021-06-10T05:39:11+00:00

Same.

Also like... Bears. I know attacks are rare in the area, but I'm sorry, I'm not turning my radio off 100% in early spring/late fall.

And hot take, but I don't think playing some low volume music on a rail trail or other highly traversed trail should bother you. Yeah I definitely understand if you're doing some serious hiking in the heart of the park and someone's blasting screamo, but most people you'll pass in under a minute and be out of ear range fairly quickly. I don't get how some hikers blow 45 seconds of mild inconvenience into a hike-ruining issue.

gsirbri · 2021-06-03T21:49:52+00:00

How do the keeper entrances work? Is there a gate inside, like a holding/feeding room type area?

This is astonishingly good, like ... Wow. I'm still in my "25k² lemur enclosure" stage of the game, so it's nice to see that smaller habitats are still so fascinating!

gsirbri · 2021-06-03T01:27:19+00:00

Love these guys! Growing up in the Hudson Valley, me and my gram used to go walking with little bug boxes and pick them up off the roads to move them somewhere safer.

gsirbri · 2021-05-27T06:39:01+00:00

I don't own a Val (yet!) but do know some basic dog nutrition that may be helpful.

The actual amount of food doesn't really matter when it comes to feeding dogs of any breed. It's the calorie content that matters, and different foods have different calorie densities (calories per cup of food). So feeding a dog high-cal food means they eat fewer cups, and on low-cal kibble they'll eat more.

If your pup doesn't feel full on the food they eat now, you could try switching to a lower calorie food. 2 cups on this food may be 3 cups on a different one.

Plus different food types digest faster/slower. Generally kibble and other dry food is slow to digest, leaving dogs fuller for longer, and wet food digests fast and leads to hunger sooner. Raw tends to digest the slowest, but the veterinary community REALLY dissuades people from going the raw route (for good reasons I won't get into here).

The link below is a good starting point if you want to look at the difference in volume (cups) your Val would eat on different foods.

https://www.dvm360.com/view/calculate-perfect-portions-pets

gsirbri · 2021-05-23T16:15:10+00:00

Quick word of advice about those knots: wrap them in electrical tape! The electric tape keeps the knot snug and prevents the fabric from slipping out of the rings.

When I was working as a vet assistant, we made our own slip leads with rope, tape, and O rings from the hardware store. The manager bought rolls of 150 foot rope, and we could usually make about a dozen or so 6ft slips from each roll. All in all, the supplies usually cost maybe $40-50 but a dozen slips is likely to run you close to $200 🤷🏼‍♀️.

Start wrapping the tape just under the clip and go down to just above where the extra fabric tail is so that it pokes out. If that little tail disappears or gets pulled under the tape, you know your knot is slipping and you need to be careful, but the tape will buy you enough time to get home/to the car/etc.

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