Sibling rivalry

[The Snark]

At first we watched the dogthing like hawks as we introduced the cat to it. Finally we felt reasonably assured carnage wasn't imminent. They even got to playing together. Then one day the cat decided to check out the dogs food dish. That left us with shredded nerves. This antediluvian version of an Akita is at a guess 7 times faster than a deathadder when in munch mode. We recovered the cat which had been thrown against the wall and pampered it while it recovered from a nervous breakdown. It was otherwise undamaged.

Dogthing was another matter. Having spent his formative year tied up and abused regularly he was cringing as he waited for his beating. We ever so gently remonstrated them both and tried to establish a little comradeship. Well, let's call it an armistice.

Then the rot set in. Dogthing became jealous. The cat lives in the house and he bitterly resented this. When we let him in the house we would see ticks crawling off on the white tiled floor.

Next, dingbat, the boss, my other, accidentally let the cat out. (It's very sneaky). She suddenly dashes to the window and I follow. Dogthing has the cat by it's head in his mouth. It takes it to the farthest end of the yard and deposits it there. The cat just lies there, cringing. The dog retreats, content with his solution to cat proximity. Other than a drooled head the cat is unharmed. Fortunately the cat has a memory about 2 and 1/2 minutes long.

Someone bangs on the gate this morning. It's the farmer from across the road holding our cat. He was out working his fields when he saw the dog trot passed, the cat dangling by it's head in his mouth. Intrigued the farmer followed. The dog took it out to the very farthest rice paddy about a 1/4 kilometer off and unceremoniously dropped the cat into a canal.

Unharmed but soaked, the cat has long since forgotten it's morning experience. Now all I need to do is train the dog to bite the boss on her backside when she goes potato brained as she goes out the door. That should be much easier than talking some sense into either the dog or the cat.

 

[Tenodera]

I'd buy a book written by you in a heartbeat.

 

[pitbulllady]

"Seven times faster than a death adder" pretty much accurately describes every Akita I've ever met, both the "antediluvian" versions and the purebred, papered versions. The latter do not know that they're supposed to be cultured, prim and proper. They're just four-legged velociraptors with a pedigree as opposed to ordinary four-legged velociraptors. I think that your dogthing is smarter than you realize, another typical Akita trait, as I'm sure you already know, lol. These dogs think and reason things through. The dog figures if it kills the cat, it's going to get a beating, and due to the abuse it suffered in its early years it would rather not go back to that, so the next best thing is simply to get rid of the cat by non-lethal means, or at least, not exactly lethal from the perspective of the dog having directly caused its demise. Drop it a canal, it should drown or run into a big king cobra, problem solved, no blood on the dog to prove its role in the kittycide. The cat is just too dumb or too lucky, not sure which.
This would really make a great script for a cartoon episode, wouldn't it? Funny how Real Life can be more interesting that anything that a Hollywood producer would concoct.

pitbulllady

 

[The Snark]

I'm extremely fascinated by animals doing what appears to be extraordinary things and the dog zapping the cat that first time was right up there with teleportation. It happened within a couple of feet of where my wife almost got tagged by a Russells viper which made it all the more nerve wracking. We were both watching, my leg actually touching the dog then the cat is bouncing off the wall. The dog moved so fast his warning growl/noise came after the bounce. It reminded me of my ventures with rattlers and the many incidents I have heard of of people dealing with hot snakes. The 'never saw it coming'. It is still a bit shivery creepy having a violent incident happen in such close proximity and not with a small animal but a dog. What made it all the more extraordinary is it knew biting the cat was not permissible. When they played he would open his mouth and see how much cat he could fit in. That's what he did. Soft mouth like a bird dog he didn't snap bite but had to have engulfed the cats head or body, got enough purchase, then did that light speed Akita thing of tossing his head to the side. I think the cat was unharmed because it was calm and limp. If it had time to tense up it would probably have got a broken spine.

But now we are wondering what the dog will pull if we have another incident. Take the cat out somewhere and bury it?

But anyway, yuppers. The dog has his own agenda for certain. Strange and inscrutable. For that matter, the cat does too. It is either the most tolerant animal on the planet or simply has no memory at all. It sneaks upstairs, gets grabbed and tossed back down or squirted in the face or put outside on the porch roof. Then at the next opportunity, same thing. Over and over, sometimes 10 or more times a day.


BTW, I need to pick peoples brains about dogs here. He is very skin sensitive. You know how some dogs are. Pulling a tick off him is taken like I was beating him. Anyway, he's got the itches. Maybe flea bite dermatitis or possibly mange but there is no indication of that. But he is scratching almost constantly and starting to have very thin fur. I've looked him over very carefully. No fleas romping around, no skin sores, lesions or even red patches, and no odor as mange has. Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[PlaidJaguar]

What kind of food is he eating? Food allergies/intolerances are the most common cause of generalized itching & hair loss. Wheat, corn, and soy are the most common allergens, followed by beef and chicken. Many of my clients (I'm a dog groomer) have seen tremendous skin improvement within a month of switching to grain free food.

Hair loss can also be caused by thyroid problems, although itchiness isn't usually associated. Typically dogs with failing thyroid will gain weight as well. Probably not what your dog has, but something to be aware of nonetheless.

 

[pitbulllady]

What kind of food is he eating? Food allergies/intolerances are the most common cause of generalized itching & hair loss. Wheat, corn, and soy are the most common allergens, followed by beef and chicken. Many of my clients (I'm a dog groomer) have seen tremendous skin improvement within a month of switching to grain free food.

Hair loss can also be caused by thyroid problems, although itchiness isn't usually associated. Typically dogs with failing thyroid will gain weight as well. Probably not what your dog has, but something to be aware of nonetheless.

Most primitive dogs have sensitive skin and are prone to food allergies. Few can tolerate anything with soy it it at all, and very often most grain-based products don't agree with them well. It COULD still be the beginning of mange, though, since the odor doesn't develop until after sores and redness are quite noticeable, usually after secondary bacterial infection has set in. There are different kinds of mange, caused by different mites, and the most contagious type often starts out without any odor, just itching.

pitbulllady

 

[The Snark]

Dog food

Okay, this is a major problem. The labeling of human food here is a standing joke and 'catch me if you can' game. As for pet food, what's on the label can be true or unmitigated bullfeathers amd more likely the latter. They will cram whatever filler material they can into the stuff. Rice, corn, or any other grain, or for that matter, any of a number of cheap vegetable byproducts. I wouldn't be surprised if they are using crud like leftover palm oil meal or similar. I noticed the ingredients label on one sack of locally made dog chow was a verbatim copy of an American brand next to it. Not a coincidence methinks.

And then, the only dry food the dog and cat will eat is some off brand name puppy food. The cat is thriving on it, even becoming a little overweight. As for wet dog food, no way. I've seen the stuff made. They could at least clean those flat shovels once every month or so and the 'byproducts', usually delivered in railroad tank cars, have a smell that, before they chemically deodorize and re odor it, would put a ghoul off it's lunch. (It is very reminiscent of a corpse we found in a closed up car that had been sitting in the sun for a couple of weeks combined with the dregs when they clean out a beer brewing vat.)

The only alternative is we get all the leftovers from my other's restaurant. Various cuts of meat, all still good, but once it's unthawed what doesn't sell that day gets cooked up and comes home with her. So what mix/ratio would you all suggest? Any tricks? The dog is hyper but with half leftovers and half that puppy chow his ribs don't quite show.

So I guess I have to get the dog to the vet. But how to do that without him thinking it's a new form of torture has me baffled. Any suggestions there? He will submit to being picked up and manhandled by me but the last time I had to pick him up left him cowering for 2 weeks. Today was the first time since we got him around 8 months ago that he rolled over and let me scratch his tummy without him assuming a submission mien.

 

[PlaidJaguar]

For your food issues, look up raw feeding and/or homemade diets. You have to be fairly careful to include a proper mix of nutrients--just meat won't cut it. Typically organs would make up about 10% of the diet, and bones another 10-30% (depending on the dog and the expert you ask). It's a complicated subject. On the plus side, if at least 2/3 of the dog's diet is kibble, you don't have to worry too much about the other stuff. The vitamins in the kibble tend to be good enough (provided you're feeding good enough kibble). I highly recommend checking out dogfoodanalysis.com and dogfoodadvisor.com. Both are independent sites not funded by any dog food company. I know you can't trust everything you read on a label, but I've personally witnessed several dozen dogs show marked improvement when switched to recommended brands, so that's some pretty strong anecdotal evidence that the labels are at least somewhat accurate.

For the strong negative vet reaction, the only proven fix is a solid counter conditioning protocol. You'll probably need a professional behaviorist to help you with that, although doing it yourself is not completely outside the realm of possibility. It does take awhile, anywhere from days to years depending on the dog and the skill of the trainer, although a few months is more average. The important thing is never to attempt any "dominance" techniques, as these are ineffective for treating fear. Reconditioning a fear response requires a lot of positive reinforcement to change the dog's mind about the scary stimulus.

Unfortunately, if he needs a vet trip before he's done with the training, you'll just have to pick him up and get it done. Bring super- high-value treats (whatever your dog likes more than breathing, lol) and keep offering them even if he's too stressed to eat. Be as calm and stable as possible, and get him out as quickly as possible to minimize damage. Most vets are very cooperative with this kind of thing. With my last dog I had to give them my cell number and wait in the car with my dog. They'd call me when they were ready for him, and we were able to go straight in, get checked out, and leave. He waited in the car while I paid my bill. Worked well enough for him until I was able to finish the conditioning protocol.

 

[The Snark]

This is going to be a major challenge. The only time he feels relaxed and comfortable is out in the rice fields or foraging along the river. As for feeding him high value treats, he can't eat near people. Apparently that was part of his abusive upbringing; teasing him with food and smacking him when he tried to eat it. He's a strange antithesis of my other Akita: 'Touch my food or dish while I'm eating and you lose a leg'.

As for trusting ANY dog food for sale in stores, forget it. Cheating and lying is the order of the day here. I consider all dog food fake scams. So it boils down to making my own from what he likes to eat. That limits things to chicken and pork parts, Oreo cookies (both the real and fake varieties) and live frogs. See my signature. Any idea what the nutritional content of chicken heads is? I can get those by the kilo quite cheap.

 

[PlaidJaguar]

You may want to join the raw feeding Yahoo group. It has a lot of snobby my-way-or-the- highway jerk wads, but also a lot of really excellent info from documented sources.

Btw, you mentioned you feed him puppy chow, then proclaimed you won't feed him any store bought crap because you don't trust labels. Kinda sending a mixed message there.

I think you're being overly paranoid. If you know how to read labels correctly, you CAN tell what's in a food, at least to a pretty high degree. But learning to read food labels involves learning how to cut the bs and translate the euphemisms. If it were really all pure lies, then they would all have excellent ingredient labels--trust me, they don't. I can tell exactly how well my dog will handle a given food simply by reading the labels, with very few surprises. I also monitor food recalls, and avoid companies that have had any problems in the prior decade.

Not saying kibble is better than a homemade diet, because it usually isn't. But, if you don't do the homemade diet correctly you can cause a LOT of problems. It's best to feed a proper homemade diet, but it's way better to feed kibble than to feed a homemade diet without knowing how to balance it nutritionally.

 

[The Snark]

Sorry! Unclear! Brain fart! I feed him puppy chow for the reason there may be some nutrition in it and he eats the stuff. I don't consider it his source of nutrition. I could buy the best spiffiest most expensive ultra high quality kibbles here with utterly fantastic ingredients and nutrition info but inside is could be grass clippings or the new novel method Tepco is using to dispose of Fukushima radioactive wastes. The industry standard here is copy someones packaging then fill the insides with pure crud.
Let me give you a perfect classic example. I needed a critical data back up computer hard drive. I went and bought a Seagate Cheetah new in it's sealed box. I filled out the warranty card and even read all the instructions on the owners manual. A month later the drive died. As it happens we have a Seagate factory repair center here so I packed it on over there. The techs smirked, plugged it in and turned the monitor so I could see it: TEST BED DRIVE E: UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER - ANALYSIS HALTED. The box, packaging, manual, warranty card were all high quality forgeries, along with the labels on the drive. The drive itself was a piece of junk Chinese thing.
This is typical of any commodity sold here. Fake Coca Cola, fake Panasonic appliances and on and on. With some companies the trouble pirating can get the people in makes it not worth it but something like pet food it's completely buyer beware.

PS I got stung some other times. Can I interest you in the latest style UV resistant RayBan sunglasses? Use a magnifying glass to read RoyBon. Or how about some Omega watches. Again, look real close to see Ornega.

But on the positive note, this computer is running Windows XP SP3 Black Edition with printed on the label: Stripped and Modified by VooDoo, Unattended self installer. Serial Numbers and all OEM proprietary software cleanly removed. Nagware and virus free. We off only the finest in pirated software! Price: $3 This was the ONLY Windows I could find without a 500 mile trip to Bangkok!

 

[stewstew8282]

man oh man you make your place sound so interesting to visit. would you offer a spare bed to any visiting AB member who happened across your neck of the woods? 8p




...plus I think the late night beer chats with said guest would be the most interesting conversations of anyone's lifetime..

 

[PlaidJaguar]

Ok, that makes much more sense now. I see what you're saying about labels now, and that really sucks. Being the spoiled and shortsighted American that I am, it didn't even occur to me that you might not live here--so sorry! :feeling stupid:

Anyway, I'm glad you rescued your dog, and I'm glad you're feeding him real food. I've never personally researched chicken heads as a nutrition source, but I imagine they'd be bone heavy. Which isn't a bad thing, but you do need to keep an eye on the dog's poo to make sure he's not eating too much bone. If it's dry and crumbly, back off the bony stuff. I'm not sure beaks are good for dogs, that you may have to research. Aside from that, feed a nice variety of meats and scraps. Cottage cheese and yogurt and eggs are good for dogs as well. Just try to get as much variety as you can, and watch the fat content (too much fat can cause pancreatitis).

 

[The Snark]

Well it looks like gleanings from my wife's restaurant is the safest move as his main food source. Chicken heads cost $1.50 a kilo. Eggs are dirt cheap. As to watching his bathroom business he is more secretive about that than the W administration was with the truth about invading Iraq. In the entire time he's been with us I've caught him doing his potty break once.

stewstew8282 We keep a spare bedroom for quests. We shoo all the spiders in there when we let the cat loose. It's also the junk and storage room for several Hmong relatives so it's undoubtedly got a good helping of mites, probably lice, and maybe assorteds like chiggers and wandering scorpions. It's almost impossible to keep clean so I just spray around the perimeter of the door with a powerful sterilizing solution laced with Eucalyptol and Lemon grass extracts every couple of days.

Having been in various emergency services for 30 years or so I've seen probably around 250 deaths directly and indirectly related to alcohol and subsequently the stuff is frowned upon in the house.