The pets thread aka my house smells of cat/dog/other piss

Cats - mostly fine, they are clean animals so sort it out eventually on the rare occasion there are issues.

Dog - nightmare. Have managed to get his motions under control now after a diet change but he still occasionally has some clag nuts and won't let us near him. Stupid animal.

Yeah, mine doesn't moult either but a)the clippers never cut him short enough around his arse and b) he then won't let us near him. Was a nightmare in COVID times as he wasn't clipped and my mum couldn't sort him out. More than once i had to chuck him in the shower to get off big lumps of shite around his arse.

steer the fuck away from bracyaphylic* (spelled that wrong) breeds (eg pugs) unless you like spending the kids inheritance on vet bills / insurance

labs/retrievers eat for England but are generally healthy with some hip problems in later years, king Charles spaniels have skulls too small for their brains, eye problems and heart problems, terrier breeds tend to live forever

the individual breeder's professionalism and care is probably the most likely indicator of future health tho

* think boxers are bracyaphylic (still can't spell it), albeit to a lesser extent than bulldogs/pugs etc, obvs dogbot would be the man to ask

@fred just to add to what minimatt said, bugger dogs tend to not live as long too. Can't go wrong with labs/retrievers or poodle breeds for family dogs imo. Definitely make sure any breeder has had mum and dad properly tested etc. Kennel Club has all the info on what to look for (had no idea it was such a minefield, only discovered the other day looking for something else). Or roll the dice with a rescue dog/mutt and feel happy that you're doing a good deed.

One of my mates just got a spaniel puppy. I honestly don’t know how anyone can cope with that level of constant energy and enthusiasm in their lives. It is utterly relentless.

Ha, yeah we were chatting to a greyhound owner the other day and the guy was basically "yeah he sleeps all the fucking time". Which surprised me, to say the least.

wunty ironic innit!

Bit of advice if poss as not sure this is vet worthy.

For a few weeks Penny has had blood intermittently on one of her rear paws. She isn't in pain, and it's not sore to touch. In fact she seems quite oblivious to it. Finally realised that the cause is her licking it so that there is essentially a bit of raw skin beside where the nail comes out on the inside of the paw.

Would some kind of barrier cream be a good solution? If she stops licking it long enough I'm convinced it will just heal of it's own accord. Failing that, some kind of physical barrier like a sock for her paw?

Or should I swallow the £80 consultation charge and take her to the vet?

It's not that I'm avoiding the vet, but would rather save it for when I know she needs to go, if that makes sense.

A sock would work but at some point it'll need air to heal. Assuming there's no infection. Bob does similar, overgrooms one of his paws and has made it sore in the past. I think it's a comfort thing, not unlike sucking a thumb or something. My mum took him to the vet and they basically shrugged.

Worth trying either wound gel or styptic powder for wounds.

Need to get some wound gel, one of the cats keeps getting into scrapes. I think he's wandering into another cat's patch.

Bought By Many increasing our insurance premiums for our 2 year old Bernese from £60 a month to £130 a month despite the fact that we've never claimed. We signed up for the lifetime cover too.

Robbing cunts.

My thoughts exactly - I just can't afford it.

I thought buying lifetime cover was exactly that - lifetime. I don't mind a reasonable increase every year but this is more than double. If we don't renew we lose the 'lifetime' part and his elbow dysplasia won't be covered going forward.