They failed to understand breed traits of the dog before they got it (y’know, since it was an impulse buy) and when you have a family with 6 kids and have strangers often over at the house due to that, having a dog that’s bred to be wary of and sometimes aggressive toward strangers is a FUNDAMENTALLY SHITTY IDEA.
Their dog even considered us strangers, even though she saw us every day, because we didn’t live in the house with them and would react with extreme aggression whenever she could see us out in our yard (which she considered ‘too close’ to her territory).
She reacted the same way to our dogs.
They have a 5′ fence, which she could easily clear, and did on multiple occasions, to chase people walking by–by chase, I mean she would have seriously injured them if she’d caught them, because everything she could see was ‘her territory’ and anyone even walking by their house was too close.
This was WITH professional training and extensive socialization. They at least knew they had to do that much because they have another large breed dog.
By the time she was a full sized adult, she was straight up a dangerous dog to have, especially since she could clear their fence, so they started tying her in the back yard when she had to go out instead of leaving her loose. She’d still bark excessively at anyone she could see and would try her hardest to bust the chain to get at anyone she could see walking past the house.
We started actually being afraid to be outside, not knowing when they were going to let her out, because she was so aggressively defensive and had charged at us in the past.
She also barked ALL THE TIME, because that’s what Tibetan Mastiffs do: Their primary ‘job’ in guarding their territory and flock is to bark until your ass comes out there to drive the threat off or the threat leaves on its own. Problem is, in a busy suburb, there’s always a ‘threat’ nearby in the dog’s mind, so she barked. Constantly. She even barked near constantly in the house. They tried a bark collar, but she just straight up didn’t give a shit (bonus: they’re also a stubborn breed and a breed with exceptionally high pain tolerance) and kept barking anyway.
They asked us what to do about a month ago after the first time she got out, attacked someone’s on leash dog, AND bit the owner of that dog (who said they didn’t want to press charges because the bite wound didn’t require stitches) because our dogs are well behaved and I was just, “You never should have bought that dog in the first place; that’s a dog that’s bred to be aggressively defensive about strange anything coming anywhere near its ‘territory’, which is anything even remotely close to your house. There isn’t anything you can do here, that dog is going to severely injure or kill someone or their dog at some point or injure or kill one of you or your kids or their friends in the process if you try to stop it.”
“…oh.”
“Seriously, read up on that breed a bit then tell me if you still feel confident you can safely keep her.”
She was gone 3 days after that conversation; they had her put down because, at this point, she wasn’t safe to really have anyone keep and had a bite history which made her a legal liability for anyone to keep (and would open them up to being sued if they failed to disclose the bite and behavior history and the dog ended up biting or killing someone or something else).
Our neighbor mentioned that, even on the way there, she nearly got away to lunge and chase after someone walking by or to go after people in the parking lot at the vet. It took them, the vet, and three assistants to get a muzzle on her and two of the assistants were bitten in the process.
This was not a ‘vicious’ dog, however, and her behavior–despite how it escalated–wasn’t atypical for the breed.
It was probably made a little worse as they didn’t know how to properly teach her the boundaries of their property or effectively curb her high guardian drive (which means she never should have been a ‘city dog’ in the first place). Some blame also lies with the breeder who was breeding and selling high drive working dogs for selling a high drive working dog to people who were looking for a laid back, large breed family dog.
Either way, because they impulse bought a ‘cute fuzzy’ dog, they ended up with a liability nightmare and the dog ended up dying because of it.
TL;DR: Don’t get a breed of dog because it’s “so fluffy!” or “so cute” or “looks like an adorable fuzzball”, actually research the traits of the breed of dog it is or is mixed with to make sure you can actually handle the animal properly and, if you can’t, stick to just looking at pictures instead.
These are Tibetan Mastiffs. The first photo is a dog that looks more like the AKC standard, whereas the bottom one appears to be more country-of-origin dog. They’re the huge fluffy animals that tumblr falls in love with (and yes, they’re the dog breed that being passed off in a Chinese zoo as a lion). They’re gorgeous animals, but they are not easy or good matches for ‘pet’ homes – @calleo‘s story is a prime example of why it’s so important to really research the breed of dog you’re getting before you commit.
I’ve been vegan for 6 years, and my aunt has been vegan for 30 years. I am poor af and I know I am contributing to the unnatural slaughter of factory farmed animals,but I buy meat kibble for my cat. When I can afford it, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, I buy a small bag of the vegan formula. My cat loves it. She actually tore the bag open once and spilled it all over the floor. I was concerned as well, but 2 vets both said her bloodwork is 100% healthy and normal.
Here’s an example of a vegan looking at scientific fact, ignoring it in order to force their own morals and ethics onto a pet. This follows the age old vegan check list:
your classic anthropomorphism. “My cat/dogs loves eating vegan! They beg for it!”
taking their pets behaviour and signs of malnutrition (begging for food, eating eagerly, ripping into the pet food) as them “loving eating vegan food!”
classic “My vet says it’s fine!” – This is often a straight out lie or twisted truth. They often don’t tell their vet they are feeding a pet a vegan diet or if they do, the vet reluctantly has to stop trying to convince them otherwise due to the stubborn ignorance of the vegan owner. Vets don’t want to keep pushing, incase the vegan owner takes their pet somewhere else (or just stop taking them to a vet altogether) which can result in health issues and death for the pet.
No understanding what blood work tests for
also attack on pet foods and how they contain “no nutrition” and or just “left over bones! there’s no real meat! It’s just filled with filler meal!” (doesn’t know what offal is) before, in complete irony go on to talk about how much nutrition is in vegan pet food (despite the lack of tests and scientific evidence that says the exact opposite).
using their own personal experience with their pet as “proof” vegan diets work for pets
This is really just textbook bad vegan pet owner. This is animal cruelty. If you can’t stand to care for a pet properly (this includes feeding them the correct diet) then you shouldn’t have that pet.
I honestly hope someone takes this animal away from @firephox
These are good for immediate first aid or if you can’t get to a vet, but in most cases you should consult a vet first!
Benadryl is also a useful for reducing swelling for mild venomous snake bites (but always go to the vet first if you suspect your pet has been bitten by a venomous snake!!).
I really really hate these “pet hacks” sort of things. They contain over generalized and sometimes flat out wrong information that can be seriously harmful for a dog. There’s so many problems with this infographic and I’m not even able to touch on whether or not the dosages are even remotely safe (I’m still a baby vetling and haven’t learned that yet!) but the fact that these are listed on a random site with no veterinary source should be a huge red flag.
1. If you think your dog has ingested something toxic, you should talk to pet poison control and/or your vet (it doesn’t cost any money to talk to your vet on the phone!) before trying to induce vomiting. There are situations where it is not appropriate to induce vomiting, which can include the ingestion of corrosive material, passage of time from ingestion, and other scenarios determined by a vet, not Dr. Google. Pet owners also tend to give too much hydrogen peroxide, which can cause very damaging (and even deadly!) ulcers and irritation. Also hydrogen peroxide should never be used for cats. I’ve never heard of mineral oil and milk of magnesia being suggested for toxin ingestion but the lack of a reputable veterinary source makes me very skeptical.
2. Ok so the common theme is going to be don’t medicate your pet without talking to a veterinarian. Just like humans, animals can have deadly allergic reactions to insect stings. If you think your dog is having an allergic reaction, call your vet. Benadryl isn’t going to stop a dog from going into anaphylactic shock. Also, again, sketchy internet source should make you skeptical about dosages.
3. What is the source on this? I’ve NEVER heard anything about static electricity making dogs anxious. I ended up doing a little research on this one because it does sound super fascinating, but all I found was a few blog posts and vague references to a “study” that wasn’t actually included in the article. I’d buy that static electricity is unpleasant and could contribute to storm phobia, but I did not see any compelling evidence that it could be a significant factor. Noise phobia isn’t uncommon–think about how many animals become agitated by fireworks around the 4th of July. Rubbing dryer sheets on your dog isn’t going to do anything to help with noise phobia. A dog with serious noise phobia is going to need behavioral management and possibly anti-anxiety drugs.
4. This ones ok. Using a rock or tennis ball as an obstacle can help slow down a fast eater. Slow feeders, Kongs, and puzzle feeders are also good alternatives and provide enrichment as well.
5. Yikes. Just, yikes. First of all, owners are not qualified to make any kind of medical diagnosis for their dog nor are they trained to be able to choose the correct medication for a condition. How does an owner know that their dog just has an “upset stomach” vs. gastric ulcers? Or that their pain isn’t being caused by a cancerous mass? Do you think aspirin is going to be sufficient for an osteosarcoma? By giving over the counter medications without consulting a vet, you are delaying treatment, potentially making a medical condition worse, giving drugs that could interfere with veterinary prescriptions, and even causing a life threatening reaction. Also, aspirin is rarely recommended by veterinarians because it can cause ulcers and impaired clotting. There are much safer pain medications that we can use. I’m especially upset about seeing multiple medications for diarrhea because there are MANY causes of diarrhea and a lot of them can be life threatening (as is chronic diarrhea). If your dog has chronic diarrhea, they need to be taken to a vet, not given pepto bismol for something that you don’t even know the cause of.
6. This one is ok as well, never leave your dog in a hot car.
On my schedule today was a pancake tortoise that was coming in because it wasn’t eating. I got all of my examination equipment ready and went into the exam room to get started. A young man was sitting in a chair with a shoebox on his lap. We chatted for a bit and then I started asking him questions about his tortoise.
I found out he had purchased the tortoise from a reptile show 8 years ago and that it lived in a ten gallon aquarium with gravel for substrate. It’s diet consisted of lettuce and carrots. Only. The only water provided was from a spray bottle that was used to mist the cage every other day. There was no heat, UV light, cage decor, hide, nothing. I wrote everything down and asked him for the box.
I opened the box and looked inside and nearly lost my composure. Inside was a stunted, gnarled creature about 4 inches long with a grossly abnormal shell. I took him out and put him on the table and pulled himself across the table bits and pieces of his carapace fell off. I don’t mean the scutes, I mean the actual pieces of bone that make up the shell. You could see his organs through gaps in his ribs.
“I will be right back” I said and grabbed the tortoise and went into the treatment room. I was so angry that my hands were shaking. Calculating some dosages I handed them to my tech and asked her to draw up pain medication and a sedative. “Did he approve this?” she asked.
“No. I don’t care. Please draw it up and give this IM.”
Slowly I walked back into the room. I asked the owner how long the tortoise had been like that. He wasn’t sure. He had just stopped eating a day ago. Up until then it was perfectly healthy.
“Your tortoise has been very poorly taken care of. If he were a dog this would be considered animal abuse. Because he is a reptile I am not very likely to get far with the authorities so I’m gonna make you a deal. You sign him over to me and pay for the examination and you can go.”
He thought about it and told me no, it was his tortoise. I asked why he didn’t take care of it. “I thought I was” was his response.
“Why doesn’t he have any source of heat?”
“I didn’t know they needed it.”
“Why didn’t you give him UV light?”
“I didn’t know they needed it.”
“You are telling me that you never opened a book, magazine, internet care sheet, nothing to find out how to care for a tortoise?”
“Yeah. I just thought I knew.”
We talked some more and I finally convinced him to sign the tortoise over. I went back to check on him and he looked even worse. More of his shell had fallen off. I could see his lungs now. I decided it would be for the best to humanely euthanize him so he wouldn’t suffer anymore.
In this day and age “I didn’t know” is not a valid excuse. You can look up anything on your phone from who invented pizza to where the closest movie theater is. There are literally hundreds of books, websites, and internet forums all about reptile care. You can call any veterinarian before purchasing an animal and ask them about their care and I promise you they will talk to you.
I am no longer going to gently nudge people in the right direction husbandry wise. I will no longer tell them “well, lots of people make that mistake, it’s ok”. I am going to call it like it is and if an animal is suffering they will know it is abuse. There is zero excuse for this.
It is sad that reptiles and other exotics don’t have the “cute” factor other animals do. No one would allow an owner to get away with feeding their dog nothing but potato peelings because they just “didn’t know” and yet it is perfectly fine to own a reptile and watch it slowly starve to death because someone “didn’t know” it needed to eat insects.
Iguanas that live in cages so small they can’t turn around. Tortoises kept without the proper heat gradient. Monitor lizards over fed until they are morbidly obese and can’t even walk. This is all abuse and it is wrong. Unfortunately reptiles are survivors and they can be dying for YEARS before anything is noticed. Owners confuse being alive with being healthy far too often.
I simply cannot stand by and watch this happen anymore. I allowed myself to be drawn into the “well, exotics are different, people just don’t know” mind set and did lots of hand holding while owners declined or refused my recommendations. From now on I promise I will flat out tell people it is animal cruelty and will have to make a phone call if things don’t change. It will not make me a popular vet nor a rich one but at least I will be able to sleep at night.
My challenge to everyone is that if they notice an animal being abused politely but firmly call the owner out. There is no need to internet shame, threaten violence or bully someone. Simply tell them what they are doing is wrong, their animal is suffering and they need to fix it. There are numerous reliable resources to find the proper information. If they won’t fix it the proper authorities need to be contacted.
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