Catkin

Someone very close to me used to be a bright, warm and honest human being. For the past several months, this person has been taking OTC meds to get "high" and has deteriorated physically, socially and mentally, which is beyond heartbreaking. My question has more than 1 aspect:

1. Although this person is an adult, can the family intervene in any way?

2. The spouse of this person has become frightened over the person's erratic behavior and the possibility that the person may die from abusing these meds. Could the spouse get any kind of help from the police? The person's Dr. has been of little help, but simply says "don't take those things."

Thanks in advance for any information/advice or insights.

In April, I fractured my right patella (it actually broke into 2 pieces). The bone and external excision (from surgery) have healed and I began physical therapy last week. I wore a brace for 6 weeks, so there are weakness & flexibility issues. My pain level has actually increased since I'm using the leg more (I have fibromyalgia too, if that matters).

Are there things I can be doing along with my therapy to assist the healing process?

Someone close to me is having cognitive issues and often drives erratically. I'm very concerned that this person may be injured or hurt someone else. Is there an agency or person that I could discuss this with? Ideally the person could take the road test to determine if driving has become too dangerous. Thank you for any insight or advice.

We adopted 2 male guinea pigs on Monday. One is 5 months old, the other is a bit under a year. Since piggies under 6 months of age should have a different diet than adults, what's the best way to do this? They share a cage, both have great appetites & had been getting Nutraphase which I'm transitioning to Oxbow Cavy Cuisine. Should I be giving the younger guy Cavy Performance? And should he be getting Alfalfa hay for the next few wheeks?

Thanks in advance. This is the 1st time we've had 2 guinea pigs together, let alone 2 of different ages.

A few seasons back, an episode of the Simpsons had live actors during the opening theme. I had to miss most of it because I was fixing dinner & have never caught it again. I'd like to know what episode, which season & if this is available on DVD. Best Answer to the 1st good response.

We'll be fostering/potentially adopting an adult dog in a few days. The dog, a German Shepherd mix, is used to cats but our cats have little or no experience with dogs. The ages of our cats range from less than 1 year to about 13 years, if this is relevant. How can we make the introductions go as smoothly as possible?

Our youngest cat was neutered yesterday & is already back to his sweet self. We had to delay his surgery til after the holidays & he'd already begun to "spray". It's been over 10 years since we've had a kitty altered because this has usually been done @ the rescue but we found this kid as a stray. So, can someone remind me, how long will it be before he consistently thinks *inside* the box?

If bowel impaction is preventable, could you let me know the best way to reduce the chances of our male guinea pig developing this condition? Also, are there any early warning signs so we can make a vet appointment as soon as he needs help?

Our little guy is @ least 6 years old & seems very healthy. He was a rescue & is actually more playful now than he was @ age 2. He eats Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, timothy hay, assorted veggies & occasional fruit & has had so signs of problems so far. He's a mixed breed with really long hair if that's relevant.

Thanks.

In the dream, I'm having my palm read by a friend of a friend. She's telling me stuff that's mostly neutral or slightly pleasant. Suddenly she becomes really amused & says that I'm the complete opposite of everything that Jerry Seinfeld stands for. The next thing I know, I'm leaning out of a subway train, announcing to bystanders that I'm the 'Anti-Seinfeld'.

Any idea of what this means? If it helps, in the *real* world I enjoy watching Seinfeld reruns but I have no idea of how he is or what he "stands for" in daily life. Also, I live in CA & don't recall ever actually riding a subway.

Silly dream, yes but it's been a depressing day & I could use some insight and/or amusement.

3 days ago we nearly ran over a tiny kitten on our block. Our neighbor didn't know where he's from & I gave her our address in case anyone is looking for him. He had no ID, was covered with fleas & barely lets me out of his sight. We treated his fleas & if no-one claims him soon we'll take him to the vet for a check-up.

So... How soon can we ethically stop looking for his people and consider the little guy to be part of our family?

Our 18 month old dumbo girl had a tumor removed more than 2 weeks ago. Her stitches were removed on Friday & she's healing beautifully but there are "ridges" @ the surgery site that her cage mates might want to trim for her. We let them visit with supervision, but should we wait for her fur to regrow & hide the ridges before putting her back with the other girls?

When I was holding our mice today, they were both sitting happilly in my hands. I suddenly noticed they were both grinding their teeth. Our rats normally do this when they're happy or excited. Is this the same with mice, or were they simply conditioning their teeth?

It works fine & would be a waste to replace everything, but the surface is badly stained & a little chipped. It's a built-in that came with the house & I'm not sure how old it is.

Is there a brand/type of paint, as environmentally-friendly as possible, that we could buy to repaint this eyesore? Thanks!

Until I resumed adopting rodents a few years ago (after a break of several yrs), I'd never heard of myco & nearly every pet rodent we'd lived with had simply passed away with no apparent symptoms (I'm assuming the little guys had heart attacks in most cases.

Nearly every rat we've adopted from a pet shop in the past 5 years has had bouts of myco & our vet says it's fairly rare for a rat to never have @ least 1 flare-up during his/her lifetime. I'm sure this condition has always been around, but how long has myco this widespread?

Also, are mice, hamsters, cavies or other rodents subject to myco? So far, I've only seen it in petshop rats. Thanks for any info or insight you can share.

Our 2-yr-old PEW suddenly became very lethargic & lost interest in eating. His eyes had a lot of porphorin but he didn't seem to be having a myco flare-up although his breathing was occasionally a bit labored. His eyes seemed a bit glazed, that's the only way I can explain it. I was able to coax him to eat a little & we'd planned on taking him to the vet but he went downhill very quickly & we lost him this afternoon.

He seemed fine right before he got sick. Could this have been a stroke or possibly a heart attack? Are there any subtle warning signs we should/could have been aware of? His brother is obviously depressed & we're giving him extra attention. Thanks for any insight/advice.