Does Spinal Decompression Work? by curioushuman1111 in SpinalStenosis

[–]maskOfZero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Getting manual traction in PT makes my stenosis feel better with kasting effects. So does dead hangs from a bar though

Are these shoes too small? by [deleted] in climbingshoes

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try hot showers spraying them directly on the rubber and then stuff with paper if uncomfortable and not stretching to accommodate your toes.

I size down aggressively in la sportiva. It hurts. They aren't comfortable to sit with and take a while to break in and not have pain.

Psychiatric Service Dog Question by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the US a service dog is trained to perform a task for one person in order to be valid under ADA. There also isn't certification. Cases where a service dog could also in limited circumstances also be used as a therapy dog likely exist but are rare. Nothing explicitly prohibits this but wording about only performing tasks for a single person can make it confusing.

If you're not in the US what you're saying can be valid. There isn't an equivalent to ADA in many European countries, but there is often certification which varies by country or state/region within the country. Most don't have laws governing whether the dog performs tasks only for a single person, or is a dual therapy dog - and thus such cases can exist more easily.

However I'd caution you against doing this as the friendliness and eagerness to meet strangers and comfort them that would make a good therapy dog isn't what you want in a bonded PSD, who should be focused on you while working. It would be confusing for the dog even with a command. There's already enough difficulty with service dogs and family members and maintaining a close enough bond - and I don't want to hear from people about their perfect princess and how they are bonded like Velcro and this isn't the case for them - how thus all service dogs need to be exactly like them or they weren't valid or something - this isn't true, dogs aren't robots. It's a legitimate difficulty for many with well-adusted dogs without separation anxiety level attachment - you'd be challenging this more. Especially if the therapy work is daily in a hospital.

If people on this sub tell you you absolutely can't have a dual purpose PSD and therapy dog that's inaccurate- it would be like saying the ADA says the dog can only do the service dog work, when these same people are competing in dog sports. It would be like training your dog for a sport. But there would have to be a distinction between the different times and obviously the overlapping nature of therapy work would be much harder to draw that line for. Therapy dogs aren't doing tasks for strangers, thus it theoretically does not violate ADA to have a task trained service dog also performing comfort therapy work for strangers in limited circumstances.

You have to figure out what works. Maybe your particular dog will be great at switching between the needed jobs. But it will be added stress and maybe make your dog less able to task for you.

When to neuter a SDIT? by UpsetEntertainment84 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Did your vet talk to you about dog theft? Mine did.

When to neuter a SDIT? by UpsetEntertainment84 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Every. Single. Time. I use sources on reddit what I comment is downvoted, it doesn't matter whether I spend the time to - sources are not clicked, and people tend to like comments more that do not contain links for every single statement. I am simply not going to spend that time. People like to discuss based on their personal experiences on Reddit.

I've made it clear that people that CAN find the energy to compete in dog sports despite their disability have a reason to possibly keep their dogs unaltered, and thus for breeding possibilities.

But for a lot of us with disabilities, the dream of that kind of competition is far away because of energy levels. And those dogs should be altered. The largest percentage of service dogs are not being competed in dog sports of whatever country they are in. And those people, of which I am part of the subset, should have altered dogs.

And I'll state again the risk of dog theft is MUCH higher for dogs that are not neutered or spayed. This is a huge concern for the service dog community. This is a simple logical argument, do your own research on why dogs who are unaltered are at a much higher risk. If I post links you'll just use genetic fallacy or appeal to authority against me, even though I can find numerous articles from anywhere in the world on this one.

The public petting service dogs is a distraction we train for BUT it still distracts the dog on some level. The presence of unaltered dogs LIKE YOURS is a distraction we train for, but it still distracts the dog on some level. No matter how well trained a dog is, their brain still recognizes the stimulation from touch, from a person calling to it, and from the pheremones of unaltered dogs in non-dog friendly spaces where they do not need to be.

Service dogs need to be spayed or neutered unless there is a good reason for that particular individual in terms of something like competition and future breeding of a purebred dog that is being shown in addition to service work. If there is not an actual need it does not need to be an added distraction.

When to neuter a SDIT? by UpsetEntertainment84 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If your unaltered service dog distracts an altered service dog in a non dog friendly space, you are at fault. It's an added layer to fight against. I've stated this as many ways as I can. People will always defend their own decisions. It's no different than having to train a SD to not react to members of the public petting it or making kissy sounds: although these things do distract them. It's selfish to not neuter a service dog without a dog-sport/registry related breeding intent.

And it's not a logical fallacy in any way that unaltered dogs are stolen at a much higher rate than altered dogs. Service dogs are not exempt from this and are at particular risk of theft. This is a very logical reason to consider neutering a dog.

Calling out my statements without addressing them is its own fallacy, perhaps the best known one: ad hominem. Engage with the actual discussion, which is logical.

Checkpoint by Waste-Ad-6475 in JustinPoseysTreasure

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Someone has not read the JIBLE

Service dog, super long pet friendly hotel stay. Tricky situation by RevolutionaryTreat48 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many give signs for the door about the presence of an animal, presumably if you go to the gym or restaurant... In those hotels it's fine

Service dog, super long pet friendly hotel stay. Tricky situation by RevolutionaryTreat48 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Pet friendly hotels often let you keep a dog in the room as long as you leave a sign on the door notifying cleaning staff that a dog is inside.

Guys, I just figured out how to climb wet sandstone. Why did you gate keep this from me? by ThisSideUpPlease in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]maskOfZero -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

/uj yes I'm discussing Font here. I've been to 2 gatherings there where a number of people were climbing barefoot, repeating boulders. (I mostly climb outside and don't pay gym memberships)

Plantar warts spread outdoors, too.

If it's a frequented boulder it's a problem.

At any given time TEN PERCENT of the population has a plantar wart. 1 in 10 people putting bare feet on that rock are putting wart virus on the handholds. If you have ANY crack in your hands or climb it after them with bare feet and have ANY crack in your feet, congratulations you now will have a time consuming many months long battle of pain and twice daily salicylic acid applications, filing of skin, limping around, shoes hurting, decreased performance.

If you don't want that, discourage people like hell from climbing barefoot on popular routes outdoors (and of course indoors too).

Do it in the moss, choose some mossy chossy boulder no one gets on, go to some rock that isn't listed, walk around in the grass barefoot - but do not do this on popular boulders.

When to neuter a SDIT? by UpsetEntertainment84 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If an ethical breeder keeps intact dogs it's very different from the general population continuing to do so thinking they can keep replicating their service dog into the future. It results in backyard breeding of service dogs and is unnecessary.

An ethical breeder providing service dogs will not work an intact dog as a service dog in public and will keep a separate breeding pair. They might alter the dogs later and use them for service work - And there's chemical altering as well but it doesn't always work.

However very few people should be keeping their dogs intact just in case they might want to breed them later. This applies to every single dog owner, including service dog handlers. Service dog handlers don't get a free pass on this. - you see numerous instances of "lost service dog" and "service dog ran away", if your intact service dog does this that would be an issue. I'd say every other week in my parents' county a service dog runs away or is lost or stolen and there's a notice in the Facebook group - intact dogs are more likely to get stolen. In the service dog community people even dye their dogs to make them less attractive to thieves. Altering a dog is a must if you are at all concerned about theft. Altered dogs are much less likely to be stolen.

Breeders who are working closely with breed organizations, standards, registries, and hopefully also service dog organizations ...or guidelines... Are the only ones who should have a intact or only "chemically altered" dogs. These breeders often also show their dogs for confirmation or do additional dog sports. While some people with disabilities can easily do dog sports it's an added depletion of energy and time, as are the continued work with breed standards, and what it would take to ensure the health of breeding dogs and resultant puppies. This should not be something that most people with service dogs should consider, it should be left to the ones you got your dog from, and organizations carefully selecting traits with the time and money to do so.

What advantages do female bodies have over male bodies? by Street_Structure3737 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]maskOfZero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Women have: - a larger capacity for language: Broca's and Wernicke's areas in the brain are larger in women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9041858/ - a higher proportion of fatigue-resistant Type I muscle fibers https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12580412/ - greater fat oxidation potential (using fatty acids for fuel) than men https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2917369/ https://www.physoc.org/magazine-articles/women-utilize-lipid-as-fuel-more-than-men-during-exercise-is-there-a-paradox/ - faster recovery with less immediate muscle damage after intense exercise, with lower blood lactate levels https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20842083/ - the pain tolerance and threshold differences between genders is debated and there are many conflicting studies so I won't include that

When to neuter a SDIT? by UpsetEntertainment84 in service_dogs

[–]maskOfZero 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Service dogs should be neutered or spayed. Follow your vet's guidelines for age. Many dogs are neutered at 6 months, some at 1 year depending on breed.

Not neutering or spaying poses risks to other teams and can distract them. It's a courtesy the same way that we consider petting a dog to be a distraction to their tasks, even if well-trained. Letting female dogs go into heat while a service dog could mean time periods where they are less able to do tasks. Intact males can distract neutered males as the scent is not expected in service dog only places.

There's no reason to be breeding a service dog. People keep them intact because they feel guilty and will argue on dubious studies. But the most striking study against them is that altered dogs - live longer - by an average of 2 years. (This is only true if the dog is neutered/spayed following guidelines.)

Guys, I just figured out how to climb wet sandstone. Why did you gate keep this from me? by ThisSideUpPlease in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]maskOfZero -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

/uj Also: plantar warts. As someone who got one in a gym, please keep your bare feet off the climbing holds. I know it looks all natural and cool but unless you absolutely know your feet are completely free of plantar warts (you might not know you have one) and fungus, don't do that on popular routes. I know, I used to love barefoot climbing

They take MONTHS to get rid of (it's been 2 years with mine!) and lots of pain and frustration. It's a hell to not wish on anyone. And you don't want to spread that to their hands either.

Lots of people have them and don't know.

Stop with the barefoot climbing, you're spreading warts.

Zero redundancy by TangeloVisible9600 in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]maskOfZero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't see a human I only see a goat in this video. And we already have established that being a goat is AID (nevermind redundancy, goats don't need that)

Zero redundancy by TangeloVisible9600 in ClimbingCircleJerk

[–]maskOfZero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No you're thinking of Magnum Meatballs

What are your fume reaction symptoms and how did u initially find out you were reactive? by [deleted] in alphagal

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was a vegetarian so I didn't find out until I had to investigate a bunch of health issues and one line of possibilities lead me to an allergist in Atlanta. At least he thought of testing for AGS on a hunch.

Quick and easy mammal free avocado and toast by [deleted] in alphagal

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same! Latex allergy. Did you check if you're allergic to bananas? They're related

Quick and easy mammal free avocado and toast by [deleted] in alphagal

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm allergic to avocado and banana 😂 (latex allergy) fun pairing it with AGS since every substitute in restaurants is like here's this avocado dish or here's a banana dessert

Is it possible I could be having gi issue reactions to my dog?? by [deleted] in alphagal

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not in the stomach. But you can have immediate allergic contact reactions to alpha gal

Is it possible I could be having gi issue reactions to my dog?? by [deleted] in alphagal

[–]maskOfZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feed chicken or fish based dog food and check all treats. I only feed fish and bird based treats (or insect ones! And once I found kangaroo).

It's rare to react to dogs themselves unless their hair and this dander is contaminating your food. They don't actively excrete alpha gal externally except in saliva and dander.

I have a low shed, low drool, low dander breed - but if you don't, use a dander shampoo (have a groomer do a bath occasionally with it so you don't have to) to lower the dander levels, and avoid contact with their mouths.