Ask a vet tech

What do you think about giving pets mineral oil? It seems pretty commonly done even at the vets, but I've heard it's really bad to ingest.

>>2209374
Is a wet food diet for a cat really better than a quality grainless dry food? I tried to gradually switch my cat, but she had horrible diarrhea.....

>>2209398
People who work at the vets are shills for pet food companies, I don't think they're the best source to ask... some are probably alright, though.

>>2209398
The reason people say wet food is better is because cats don't often drink a lot of water, so the wet food helps to keep them hydrated. Kidney stones are a common problem with cats, likely due to dehydration from dry food only diets.

(Not OP btw)

>>2209397
I don't think you mean mineral oil... We only really use it to check things under the microscope... I wouldn't feed it to your pet no. There's other oils out there but you shouldn't be giving it to your pet unless they have a condition.

>>2209399
I always find it fun when idiots say that. Usually they are the homeopathic people that think there cats are still lions. They have no actual schooling but they know it all.

>>2209398
OP here.
Wet food is kind of a slippery thing imo. It usually has much higher fat and water contents, especially pet store ones. This can be a good thing in some cases but often it's the indoor cat who is stuck with it and gets fat. Also another thing is that unlike dry food it doesn't "clean" the teeth. In the sense that dry food mechanically removes a bit of plaque( again some types are better than others)
Personally I don't like wet food because I find it smells and is a bitch to clean but there are good ones out there.

>>2209415
Yeah they treat it like vet techs make commission off of cat food or some shit

>>2209399
>peoples who work at clinics are corporate whores
>people who studied years in medicine know nothing about nutrition and can't compare brands and ingredients
>actually believing the clickbait "doctors hate them!!" articles

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Are there any natural or over counter anti-biotics avail?
Many barn kittens here have eye cruds and respitory crud. conjuctivitis?

can't afford to take 20 cats to vet. need help

>>2209420
I've heard (and it makes sense from my observations) that cats don't chew kibble long enough to clean teeth. Do you buy that, or do you see an association with the cats you examine and the quality of their teeth?

>>2209421
OP here.
We make no commission on anything sadly. We're really poor ;-;
Also let's debunk the "rich vet" myth. Here in Canada, Quebec, a tech studies three years and then makes 12$/hour. A vet does an 8 year doctorate and makes maybe 45k a year if they're lucky.

>>2209374
Why is it that vets don't know so much more than the layman about their own field of specialization? Do they forget most of what they're taught? Are they just not taught much to begin with?

Would you say most of being a vet is just procedural memory, and not especial working knowledge?

>>2209425
OP here.
No.
Often times it isn't just an eye infection, it could be upper respiratory tract. You can always just call the vet for advice without bring them in depending on how mich the vet cares about their shekles.
For now gently wipe away the crap with a warm, damp and clean towel.

>>2209430
Studied fours in the US. Two years more then most techs. Worked 4 years in a clinic. Now takes care of all the animals at the college. Teaches a class at college. When broken down makes less then $14 an hour. More then ever made at clinic. Wouldn't it be nice to be a schill. Might be able to afford to live.

Why do you think vets reccomend stuff like Science Diet? You think it makes sense to feed overweight cats corn?

I have friends who are techs, ofc they don't make tons of money. Usually girls who love animals and don't know what else to do.

I've seen vets recommend mineral oil for constipation, seems iffy though.

>>2209425
>20 cats

SPAY AND NEUTER
P
A
Y

A
N
D

N
E
U
T
E
R

>>2209449
not to your office dumbass,
did not read the last line

Why do vet techs have high turn over rates?

>>2209374
Salary?
How many years of school?
Is it worth making a carrer out of?

>>2209374
Why aren't you ever around when an anon actually needs you
>>2209543
You can be an unlicensed vet tech with no school at all.
The work is hard, the people are terrible, the hours are rough, everyone around you is quitting or take off days, and it doesn't pay well for the work, so high turn over.
Source - college drop out vet tech

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>>2209374
Please help.
I found a pigeon with broken legs crawling around the ground a few months ago. I brought it in and fed it, and it's been hanging around the house ever since. I haven't taken it to a vet because I worried they would want to put it down.
Could a vet fix its legs? I don't care how much it costs. Thank you.

>>2209694
Do you also take home rats/ticks/tapeworms when you find them?

>>2209694
>a few months ago
jesus kill it or take it to a vet, imagine if it was in pain all that time.

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>>2209694

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Have a dog with flopped ears. She gets a lot of dirt in only one ear.

It's been infected before, took 2 visits for medicine and a deep cleaning to fix. Now her ear has black, sorta gooey stuff. It doesn't smell /bad/ per say, but it does smell dirty. She shakes her head now and then.

She usually treads between our back fence and all the plants there. Think that may have something to do with it?

She's not in any obvious pain from what I can see. She hates having it cleaned, but it seems to be helping.

>>2209756
>>2209741
>>2209722
delet this

Have you seen a dental cleaning done? My doggo needs one and I'm really interested in the process. Afterwards I'm thinking of switching her to a dental kibble.

>>2209374
I need to get a lot of kittens with no questions asked. Any tips?

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Is this inflamed? Would antibiotics and brushing her teeth be enough to fix it? She eats strangely but I don't have $1000 to get her teeth professionally cleaned.

>>2209862
Not OP but check out craigslist
People give them out

>>2209862
Like the other person said, Craigslist is easy. If you have a lot of strays in your area there pretty easy to pick up too.

>>2209694
have you killed it yet?

>>2209862
why?

>>2209374
Why are vets so useless when it comes to reptiles?

>>2209374
How common is Parvo really and how hard is it to treat? What "excuses" do most people give for when they realize their pet has Parvo?

How bad are meat by-products, really? I understand it's a little icky that you don't know the source, but how is it bad for cats?

>>2210245
I need a lot of kittens for a photoshoot i have coming up and I have no intention of keeping them after.

>>2210287
Oh god, I was sure you were going to feed them to a snake.

>>2209448
All my vets have shilled science diet, even to my gfs old dying cat as if it would be a miracle cure for his failing kidneys.

Mineral oil on a one shot thing doesn't seem bad if an animal is that constipated. Never worked for me though the twice I've tried because I was too much of a pansy to go out and buy laxatives.

>>2210281
Not OP but why would they be bad unless they are just scraping them off the floor? By products with meat is just shit people on average don't want to buy such as organs and fatty tissue. Your cat can't live off of chicken breasts.

>>2210307
In every cat food article they mention by-products as something to avoid, but I couldn't figure out why except for obviously "meat by-products" is lower quality meats from questionably animals. Still, this food I found is $1.19 for a 22 oz can which is the cheapest food I've seen anywhere by far. It doesn't seem to contain anything with carbs either which is weird.

>>2209415
>>2209421
>>2209422
Vets do shill to whatever brand pays them to carry there products. They will shill there asses off to keep that deal because most vets don't make a shit ton of money.

>>2210287
Are you sure you're not that lunatic from the other thread who would kill kittens to stuff and sell them?

>>2210314
I had a vet tech recommend that I feed my dog science diet after I had answered her that I fed Orijen and my dog had good health. As soon as she said that I knew they would shill as much as they could.

>>2210310
Things are pretty vauge when it comes to this shit. For example, you can't buy lungs here in America for human consumption no matter how well prepared they are. Offal can be fairly hard to find. I'm on the east coast and it takes a lot to find organ meat, because we think it's gross. But look at any raw feeding diets and they suggest organ meat. By products of meat is literally just organs and fat. They are fine to eat but they aren't going to make a profit out of them by selling it to humans since all we like is breasts and steak.
My main issue with pet foods for dogs and cats are just corn and grain which is just filler bullshit. I don't feed them totally raw but a decent wet food for cats is fine.

>>2210380
Corn and grains aren't fillers.

Recently I adopted a male cat. I heard that cats do their best to keep themselves clean, however mine isnt licking itself. In fact, he is getting smelly, specially in the butt region. How do I make my cat lick himself? Help pls I dont want to bathe him

A cat that lives in my street developed a pus-filled small lump inside her ear. It looked and felt like a human acne bump, slightly red, raised and clearly "squeezable". After two weeks, the center sort of "caved in", which left a crescent-shape pus filled bump.
It's been there for a month or so (I see this stray everyday and she's super friendly).
More info:
>she's fixed, around 2-3 years old
>is eating and voiding properly
>doesn't look sick, has long whiskers and glossy full coat
>the lump doesn't itch and doesn't seem to bother her

I was wondering, since I don't have money to pay for a vet (and she isn't even mine): could I puncture and drain it? i'm afraid she might scratch it, it'll drain improperly and get infected. I have basic "first aid" vet training, know how to do this, and would buy sterilized gear. Just wondering if I should.
Thank you.

>>2209374
One of my tarantulas has mites. What's the actual genus if you know and what's the best way to get rid of them?

>>2210291
Nah, I don't have or like snakes.
>>2210360
That sounds both messy and smelly--I'm not into that.

>>2209398
>wet food diet and dry food
Both of them have good points and bad points, you know.
For example, about water supply, dental plaque, taking time for cats to eat, facility for you to keep, hygiene, and so on.
I personally want to recommend you to give cats both of them depending on situation, because cats have more difficulty with changing their food suddenly than dogs.
Some old cats who don't to want eat by some problems with kidney, oral, etc sometimes have those trouble to find food they can eat.

They need to get used to any type of food for their future.

When should I transition from pupper food to adult dog food?

My pups about 2.5 months old atm

>>2211617
When he's finished growing. That can be a year or two to two and a half years depending on the breed.

My Axolotl's gills haven't grown back since my goldfish chewed them off (he lives in a different tank now) it's been about 4 weeks. But he's eating well and acting very lively, what's happening?

>>2209374

It currently gets above 90 degrees F here. Should I exercise my dog inside or will he be okay as long as I bring him in when he starts panting for a quick cooldown and a drink of water? He's four months old with a lot of energy, and shorthaired, but I don't want him to wind up with heatstroke.

>>2213018
Try to exercise him outside early mornings or in the evening.