Jordan

I work at a chemical plant, about 80000 sqft of indoor space and maybe 1/3 of an acre in fenced area.

Thursday, someone came to my desk and told me there was a litter of kittens under a metal loading plate. They were there alright, 4 kittens that were maybe a week old (eyes closed, barely crawling).

Mom was "around" apparently and had disappeared when the dock plate was being used.

The next morning, I came to check on them and mom had moved them. Problem is, we have no idea where. Our plant is fenced in, but there's a "raccoon hole" as we call it at one point in the fence where critters come and go as they please. Mom has been seen using said hole.

I put some dry food out on Friday after unsuccessfully looking for the kittens. Food has been eaten as of this evening.

Rained yesterday and I hoped that would bring mom and babies back into the plant and into a dry hiding spot outside somewhere, but my search this evening was in vain.

Before I get a bunch of flak:

* Our county has a "free roaming" law and refuses to pick up cats.

* My goal is to capture mom and kittens at the same time, but mom is freaked out and that's unlikely. I have secured a bottle baby home through a rescue that I am currently fostering for if I'm able to find kittens.

Where should I look? These guys are not safe out here by any means. Trucks, coyotes, cars, chemicals, a pool of chemical water that a rabbit drowned in like 2 months ago...

I need them found, socialized, and fixed. Help!

My fiancee and I have 3 pets, 2 dogs and 1 cat. The cat is the most recent addition, but we've had him for a year. The dogs we got 2 and 4 years ago.

Our pets are well-behaved, friendly, and get along great, so I find myself kind of bored with their training. I was a trainer in college and really enjoyed the challenge, but now find myself without that challenge and without the time to take on a 2nd job.

We've been discussing fostering, but my fiancee is concerned about the kind of dog we could get "stuck" with.

She's come to me with an older (7-year-old) Labradoodle who is up for adoption through a local rescue because he's knocking over his owner's toddler and has Addisons, which the owner is unwilling/unable to treat.

She's been very anti-3rd dog for a while, but we've dreamed of adopting a Doodle/Standard Poodle for a few years.

But my worry is that he'll mesh with our family, get trained, and then I'll get bored again in a few years. His lifespan isn't super long (roughly 12 years) and the disease can shorten his life.

Should we foster or adopt?

My fiancee and I are planning to adopt a 4.5-year-old kitty cat named VanGogh (he's missing part of his right ear, haha), to be nicknamed Vinny.

One of our dogs has been wanting a cat for some time. I've added a photo of him communicating that for giggles. This was the first time he'd seen a cat since we adopted him last August. Every time we tried to walk away from the cages, he screamed and grumbled and yanked on his collar to go back and look more. So funny.

Anyway, we will be meeting Vinny on Sunday at noon (along with a few other kitties for the sake of fairness) and, if all goes well, will be bringing the dogs to meet him the same day. If they all get along, he'll be coming home with us!

My fiancee and I have had cats before, but it's been a few years, so I'm looking to get some advice to make Vinny feel oh-so-welcome!

We plan to build a few cat trees throughout the house, install some carpeted shelves going up the stairs so he can stay off the floor if he wants to, and also put up some hanging shelves on some window sills through the first floor.

What else can we do to encourage him to be social? We read all about him, talked to a more than a few volunteers that knew him, and watched a video where he's introduced to a dog and isn't the least bit scared or aggressive.

Any types of foods we should look into or avoid? Our dogs eat Bil-Jac, but they don't make cat food. I don't want to feed Iams, Purina, or Blue Buffalo.

Thanks in advance!

I know that hedgehogs are NOT rodents like guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, etc. But they're similar in size and have some similar needs/interests, so I've got a few questions with that in mind.

I've seen and read a lot about the C&C cages commonly used for guinea pigs. Would this be an appropriate set up for a hedgehog? I know that they're only supposed to have one level cages, but would they get hurt climbing the wires or anything?

I know that you're only supposed to use aspen shavings or fleece for hedgehogs, because they tend to eat paper litter. But I saw another kind of litter made out of wheat that is completely digestible, so would this be a good option? I've put the link below if anyone wants to see what I'm talking about.

I also read that exercise balls aren't really good for them, even the huge ones, mostly because their feet and nails can get caught in the larger slits. Would it be possible to seal those with aquarium sealant and then drill dozens of holes too small for their feet to keep them safe? I know a wheel is best inside the cage, but I want my hedgie out and about with the family, but I always want them protected.

If anyone has any other good resources or books, please let me know! This will be my first hedgehog and I want to make sure my little darling is safe, happy, and healthy!

My fiancee and I (along with our two small dogs) are thinking about adding a hedgehog to the family! A friend of mine owns a hedgie who recently had a litter and the little hoglets are almost ready to be adopted.

I've read a ton of websites, watched about a million YouTube videos and I think I've answered most of my own questions, but I have a few more for some experienced hedgie and rodent owners.

Aside from diet, are hedgies similar to hamsters and mice?

I'm mostly asking in the sense of the type of cage and stimulation they should have. I know they require a lot of handling and I'm more than pleased with that, but a few articles I read stated that hedgies should only have 1-level cages because they have poor eyesight and fragile legs, so a fall from a higher level to a lower one could be a big concern.

Do they like tubes like hamsters and mice?

Has anyone successfully transitioned their hedgie away from nocturnal behavior?

Is it safe to take them outside to play in grass under direct supervision?

When adopting a baby who has been handled, how do I anticipate their personality?

I would prefer a hedgie who likes attention and company, so how can I tell if my new hedgie will behave this way?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

I picked up a litter of 3 6-week-old pups from my local shelter to foster for the next few weeks. I've fostered before, but primarily with bottle-babies who were already so comfortable with myself and my home by the time they were vocal, they hardly ever cried.

They are three brothers, believed to be Dachshund x Boxer mixes. They have no mother, otherwise I would have her also (obviously).

I constructed a 5'x5' square pen for them to play in inside and outside, and they sleep in a small crate together with plenty of room to walk around in.

But, every time I turn around, one of them is crying. They ate fine, are pooping/peeing fine, and two of them are usually playing. But either the run or the "middle" pup are constantly making noise. Is there any way to help them calm down? They settle very quickly in the crate to go to sleep, but if they're in the pen, they're upset unless they wriggle out (I'll be fixing this issue shortly).

We have two lovely dogs, an 8.4-pound Poodle/Schnauzer mix (Browser) and a 22-pound Westie/Schnauzer mix (Wall-E), both adopted from local shelters. They are the best of buddies and both very well behaved. The Westie is actually going through therapy dog training and is excelling...when he's wearing his vest and his sister isn't around.

We regularly go to the dog park and Wall-E regularly chases dogs away from Browser. She's not a huge fan of getting her rear sniffed by large dogs (but I've decided she needs to suck it up and take her to the park anyway) and she shows her teeth or squeals at them to get them away from her. Wall-E then comes rushing in and chases the dog(s) away from Browser and is completely relentless. He never puts his teeth on the dogs, but he's just so LOUD! He seems completely ferocious, even though the dogs don't even come away with his slobber on them.

He's a naturally "talkative" dog at home, regularly growling or grumbling at us when we get him worked up. I really don't want to resort to an anti-bark collar, but this behavior is really starting to annoy me. I'm tired of having to follow him around, verbally correct him, and then apologize to about a dozen dog owners.

Other than this small issue, our pups are great, so I don't really know what to do about this particular problem. Wall-E will come when called, sit, stay, walks off-leash when on my college campus (well away from roads, of course), and does everything else I could possibly ask of him.

Is there anyway to control his "voice" without using a collar?

So, I'm on the Aldruin's Wall quest. I've made it close to Karthspire, but there's a problem. When I'm almost there, I get attacked by a dragon and I can't fight it alone (I'm only level 10).

The internet said I should be able to make it to Karthspire and THEN be attacked by a dragon, after I've met up with Esbern and Delphine again. We were traveling together, but then all of a sudden she wanted to split up (which I've heard is a glitch in the game).

What am I doing wrong here? I see the dragon getting resurrected by Aldruin, but for the aforementioned reasons, I don't approach to kill the thing.

Is there a way to keep Delphine from splitting us up?

I'm playing on an Xbox 360, if that matters.

I have a Toshiba Satellite A505 model. It has an upgraded LCD screen, a 2-year-old hard drive (I replaced it a while back because of a faulty part).

It's pretty quick considering its age, but that's not saying much.

I'm doing typical college student work, but also working with Camtasia, Photoshop, And some image-heavy PC games.

I've been told to replace the memory, upgrade the RAM, And change the harddrive to an SSD.

I'd love some concrete advice, preferably with a how-to article/video.

Long story short, my 10-year-old Corgi was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and is scheduled to be put down on Thursday. Thanks in advance for any condolences.

Prior to this decision, we were deciding on whether or not to get our other dog, Browser, a companion. Callie, the Corgi, and Browser have never been friends. They've never been enemies, but they don't really play together. Browser spent the summer with my partner's family, being best playmates with one of their dogs and I can definitely tell she misses her buddy.

We're going to the shelter this weekend, like we had intended before scheduling Callie's appointment, and there are a few dogs there that have caught our attention. Our plan is to meet the dogs on Friday, and then bring Browser back to meet the dogs we liked on Saturday.

But, my experience with matching up two shelters dogs is limited. Is there a way to tell that they'll be friends/playmates, as opposed to just tolerating each other (which I already know how to determine)?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

For the record, the dogs we've chosen to meet are a Cairn Terrir mix, a Bichon Frise/Poodle Mix, and two Daschund/Terrier mixes, all of them at least 2 years old and all of them heartworm positive (which we already decided we are more than willing to take on and treat).

And is it a good idea to do two meetings, one with Browser and one without? My partner thinks maybe if we see the dog a second time, they'll remember us and be a little calmer?

Personally, I know I'm going to fall in love with one of these dogs and won't want to leave them in the shelter another second.

Long story short, my 10-year-old Corgi was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and is scheduled to be put down on Thursday. Thanks in advance for any condolences.

Prior to this decision, we were deciding on whether or not to get our other dog, Browser, a companion. Callie, the Corgi, and Browser have never been friends. They've never been enemies, but they don't really play together. Browser spent the summer with my partner's family, being best playmates with one of their dogs and I can definitely tell she misses her buddy.

We're going to the shelter this weekend, like we had intended before scheduling Callie's appointment, and there are a few dogs there that have caught our attention. Our plan is to meet the dogs on Friday, and then bring Browser back to meet the dogs we liked on Saturday.

But, my experience with matching up two shelters dogs is limited. Is there a way to tell that they'll be friends/playmates, as opposed to just tolerating each other (which I already know how to determine)?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

For the record, the dogs we've chosen to meet are a Cairn Terrir mix, a Bichon Frise/Poodle Mix, and two Daschund/Terrier mixes, all of them at least 2 years old and all of them heartworm positive (which we already decided we are more than willing to take on and treat).

I have a 9-year-old Corgi and my partner has a 2-year-old Schnauzer/Poodle mix, both of whom will be living together when my partner and I move in together in early August.

She feeds her dog Iams, which I protest loudly, and so she has decided that if I can find a kibble that I like better and that doesn't break the bank, we can switch.

My dog has been eating Rachel Ray's "Healthy Weight" formula, which some of you may turn up your nose at. But, after reading the ingredients one day, I decided it was actually a decent food. However, after buying it in bulk from Amazon.com, I noticed that if the bag sat for more than a few weeks, oil started to leak through the brown paper interior, which told me that it had way more fat in it than I wanted. Especially when my dog is overweight already.

So, while at the store with my partner and her mother, I came across "Nulo Naturals", specifically the Salmon and Brown Rice formula because my Corgi is allergic to chicken. This formula does contain some chicken (namely the fat), but she only has a reaction of chicken is a main ingredient.

I read a review on this product and it received 4/5 stars, which is pretty good for a dog food. However, a 16-pound bag is $33, which is not that high...but still a bit more than I'd like to pay.

I'm well aware that to get high-quality, you have to pay a good chunk of change, but I was wondering if anyone out there had found a reasonably priced, higher-quality food that I could look into. I don't mind ordering offline, but please don't mention foods that only have chicken-based formulas.

My partner also refuses to let her dog eat raw meat, so please don't suggest raw diet. I know it's good for them, but she's not willing to try that.

Not for show-quality cuts, mind you, just to keep my Corgi comfortable and to keep as much hair off of my couch/carpet as possible.

We currently use a Furminator, which is great, but it doesn't seem to be making a big difference on her feathers or the thick fur around her neck/chest area. So, I'm thinking of picking up some thinning shears and just trimming the areas.

Any tips/tricks/suggestions?

My 9.5-year-old Corgi, Callie, has been having small seizures over the last 10 days. I though the first one was just me being dramatic, but when the second one happened, we went to the vet.

During the seizure, her mouth vibrates so hard and fast that I can hear her teeth chattering, and she starts drooling. Apparently these kinds of seizures are common with distemper, which she doesn't have, but they're still seizures.

The vet gave her an x-ray and an ultrasound, which revealed dozens of tiny masses in her neck and nasal cavity. They said that because of their size, number, and proximity to the brain, there was a very good chance that she had one or more in her brain and the pressure was causing the seizures.

Because the tumor is growing in size (or number) constantly, they said medication wouldn't really help, so they encouraged me to put her down because they don't know how much longer she has. They said, "Could be a week, could be a year."

But...that seems so final. The seizures aren't that frequent and she doesn't seem to be sick otherwise. She's had some hearing loss since the start of the seizures, but other than that she's normal. She's still happy and goofy and everything else.

When would you put your dog down, if you were in my shoes?

Long-story short, my 9-year-old Corgi has separation anxiety that results in her pooping and peeing on the floor when I'm gone. It can literally be in the first 15 minutes I'm gone and sometimes even when my roommate is here asleep or taking a shower. Right now, she's crated, and I'm torn between getting her a slightly larger crate that she can really move around in (right now she's in a 36" long one that she can stand up and turn around in), and a Thundershirt.

Does anyone have experience with this and separation anxiety, either negative or positive? I looked on Amazon.com for reviews and they were mostly positive, but I know a lot of those can be planted by the manufacturer.

Thanks in advance!

My 9-year-old Corgi was pooping blood yesterday so, of course, we went to the vet immediately. While I was at work, she stayed at the vet and was given some IV fluids, antibiotics, and anti-nausea medication. When we got home, she drank a good bit of water, kept it all down, and has not thrown up. She is still pooping blood, but the vet assured me that even if she's getting better, it can take several days for that to stop.

She's allergic to chicken (which is was spurred this entire infection) and so the vet said that I could give her fish instead of boiled chicken and rice. I purchased some canned tuna, but she won't even lick at it. She sniffs it and turns her head away. She's still drinking some water and her gums are still pink, tongue is still pink, and nose is still wet like they should be.

The vet wanted to keep her through the night on IV fluids because she claimed Callie was throwing up, but she hasn't thrown up once, so I'm glad I didn't leave her... They also wanted to charge me almost $600, which is ridiculous.

Right now, I'm taking chunks of tuna and prying her mouth open, shoving it to the back of her tongue. Once it's in her mouth, she'll eat it. But she won't take it out of my hand or a bowl on her own. Am I doing this wrong, or is this what's best for her?

So, my roommate has been having a really hard time the last several months and has been talking about getting a puppy as long as I've known her (almost a year now), but hasn't ever actually decided on whether or not she wants to actually get one.

Through the grapevine, I found out about an accidental litter belonging to the parents of a friend of mine, and I've told them that I'm possibly interested in one of the pups for my roommate. My plan is to surprise her by taking her to meet the puppies and pick one out, or not, if she doesn't think it's a good idea.

This girl is really great, has a full-time job (that she has an hour-long lunch break from every day to come home and eat or let out a puppy), and is incredibly responsible. I have a dog who she loves and spends plenty of time with, so I know the puppy would always be in good hands. Plus, we'll be roommates for another 3 months, so I'll be able to help her train, housebreak, and socialize the pup at the beginning.

So, what is your opinion, given all of what I've stated? She is financially able to care for a dog, just in case that's someone's argument against it.

My 9-year-old Corgi is officially on her last month of Heartworm preventative and I'm hoping that I can avoid the excessive fees charged by all of the local vets in my area to get my hands on more. Can I buy it online, or do I have to have a prescription from a vet? I checked Amazon.com, but they don't have any. I know that you can buy flea medication for double your dog's weight and actually get 6-months of treatment instead of 3 for nearly the same price, is it the same with heartworm pills? Can I just cut the pills in half?

I would also love to hear about any flea, tick, AND heartworm 3-in-1 treatments, if anyone has had good results with one that I can get online/in a store.

I've done this before, but I was in middle school when I did it...so really my parents had the ultimate consequences.

Long story short, I'm moving out of my apartment in August into a 2bd/1.5ba house with a decently sized, privacy fenced yard. No roommates, just me and my 9-year-old Corgi. I haven't actually asked the owners of the house yet, I just wanted to get a feel for your experiences before I did that. From what I can tell, they would probably not care as long as the dog was crated and didn't cause any damage (or I paid for the damage).

My current dog is overweight (working on that), enjoys the company of other dogs (regardless of size), is not spayed (she was too old/fat when I got her, so no one will do it now), and is very, very spoiled! My partner has an 8-pound rescue pup, probably a mini poodle/schnauzer mix, who also gets along with other dogs, although she's picky about the size. Emily and Browser would only be with us maybe once a month for a few days, so I don't think they're a huge factor.

So, in my current situation, what do you think? What size/age/breed do you think I should look into? Should I take my dog with me when I go to pick out my foster?

PS: At the shelter I would be fostering for, all of the dogs are labeled as "needing fosters" and because it is a kill-shelter, they're always desperate for more space.