Pets

My dog is neutered but still humping, should I be concerned?

Common Humping Behavior in Neutered Dogs: Should I Worry?

My dog is neutered but is still humping. Should I be concerned? No, it's pretty common. Obviously intact dogs can hump for more sexual reasons, but neutered dogs still often hump. It may or may not be a sexual or hormone related issue. Humping can also be a sign of dominance and so I know both of my male dogs hump. One of them humps the other more often, but that's probably a sign of dominance more than anything sexual. So humping has other causes aside from just hormonal and actually related to conception. So I would not be concerned. It's pretty common for dogs to hump. The only time that I would necessarily be concerned is if it's causing trauma, like causing prolapse or anything like that.

No, humping is a pretty common behavior in both neutered and unneutered dogs and is not always related to hormones or sexual behavior.

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Should I be concerned if my neutered dog is still humping? No, it's actually quite common. While intact dogs may hump for sexual reasons, neutered dogs can also exhibit this behavior. It may or may not be related to hormones. Humping can be a sign of dominance, and both of my male dogs hump each other, which is likely a display of dominance rather than a sexual act. There are various causes for humping aside from hormonal factors. Therefore, there's no need to worry. It's a common behavior in dogs. The only time to be concerned is if it causes harm or trauma, such as prolapse.

Why will my cat refuse to use the litter box?
She pees and poops outside of it.

Uncover the Reasons Why Your Cat Avoids the Litter Box

A cat... so why will my cat refuse to use the litter box? She pees and poops outside of it. So I guess there's some questions that you need to ask. First of all, is this a new cat? Is this a cat that might not have been trained to use litter box? Or is this a cat that you've always had that's suddenly peeing and pooing outside the litter box? If it's the first situation, that's obviously usually more behavioral and just requires training. Whereas the second situation where your cat was previously trained and now they're not, can be a number of things. It still can be behavioral. So if there's something going on, let's say there's now another cat in the house or a change in the house that's stressing them out or an animal that's, you know, coming around outside the window. So behavior is still one possibility. But cats can also stop using the litter box for medical reasons and it doesn't necessarily have to be a medical reason related to peeing or pooing. It could be a completely other medical reason. But it's very common for cats who are sick or not feeling well to suddenly stop using the litter box. So if this is something that you can't find a behavioral cause of, it does warrant going to see your vet to have probably some blood work performed at the very least to make sure there's nothing serious going on.

If your cat is refusing to use the litter box, it could be due to behavioral or medical reasons. If you can't find a cause for the behavior, it is best to take your cat to the vet to get checked out and perform some blood work.

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Why does my cat refuse to use the litter box? She pees and poops outside of it. To address this issue, there are some questions that need to be considered. First, is this a new cat that hasn't been trained to use a litter box? If so, it's likely a behavioral matter that requires training. However, if your cat was previously trained and now avoids the litter box, there could be various reasons. It might still be behavioral, such as stress from changes in the household or the presence of another animal. Cats can also stop using the litter box due to medical reasons, even if it's unrelated to peeing or pooping. If you can't identify a behavioral cause, it's important to consult a veterinarian. They can perform necessary tests, including blood work, to ensure there's no underlying medical issue causing this behavior.

My dog peed more times than normal on our walk today. Is this something to be worried about?

Is it normal if my dog pees more frequently on walks?

My dog peed more times than normal on our walk today. Is this something to be worried about? So the first question is, are we talking that they peed bigger amounts when they went or are they peeing small frequent amounts and are they showing any other signs like straining to urinate, painful urination, difficulty urinating, blood in the urine? So it kind of depends. If it's just, you know, that they just peed a few more times than normal and it's a one-off, it may not be a big issue. But if this is something that persists, it's definitely something you want to seek veterinary care for. If they're peeing small amounts more frequently, that could indicate a lower urinary tract issue like a urinary tract infection. If they're peeing either in larger volumes or larger volumes more frequently, that could indicate almost more of an endocrine issue where they may be drinking and peeing more for a variety of reasons, whether that's kidney disease or heart disease or hormonal issues. So if this is a one-off and it doesn't happen again, you could probably just kind of monitor it. But if this is something that is happening more frequently, you definitely want to see your vet. They'll probably want to do some blood work and a urinalysis and think about the questions I asked, you know, the characterization of the urination, is there any pain, discomfort, discoloration, accidents at home, things like that.

Depending on the amount, frequency, and other signs, it may not be an issue if it is a one-off occurrence but if it is persisting, you should take your dog to the vet for blood work and a urinalysis.

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My dog peed more times than usual on our walk today. Should I be concerned? It depends on some factors. First, determine if they are peeing larger amounts or if they are peeing small frequent amounts. Are there any other signs like straining, pain, difficulty, or blood in the urine? If it's just a few extra times and it's a one-time occurrence, it may not be a significant issue. However, if this persists, it's advisable to seek veterinary care. If they are urinating small amounts frequently, it could indicate a lower urinary tract issue such as a urinary tract infection. On the other hand, if they are urinating larger volumes or more frequently in larger volumes, it could suggest an endocrine issue related to kidney disease, heart disease, or hormonal imbalances. If this is an isolated incident, monitoring the situation may be sufficient. But if it occurs more frequently, a visit to the vet is recommended. They will likely perform blood work and a urinalysis and consider factors like pain, discomfort, discoloration of urine, or accidents at home.

My dog used to always sleep in my room, now he leaves the room. Is he okay?

Is your dog leaving the room? Here's why.

My dog always used to sleep in my room and now he leaves the room. Is he okay? So it's a very general question and it's one that's honestly hard to answer. A change in behavior like that could indicate illness or that something's wrong. A lot of pets, whether we're talking about dogs and cats, will start to isolate themselves when they're not feeling well. So if this is something that's changed suddenly, I would definitely bring them into your veterinarian to be assessed and make sure there's nothing going on that could explain this. Otherwise, it could just be a normal behavioral change.

If your dog has suddenly changed his sleeping habits and is leaving the room, it could be a sign of illness and you should bring them to the vet for an assessment.

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My dog used to sleep in my room, but now he leaves the room. I'm wondering if he's okay. It's difficult to provide a definitive answer to such a general question. A change in behavior like this could potentially indicate illness or some underlying issue. Many pets, including dogs and cats, tend to isolate themselves when they're not feeling well. If the change happened suddenly, it would be advisable to take your dog to the veterinarian for an assessment and ensure there are no underlying health concerns. However, it's also possible that this change is simply a normal behavioral shift.

Are dogs yawning a sign of stress? My dog seems to yawn excessively.

Excessive yawning in dogs: A potential sign of stress?

Are dogs yawning a sign of stress? My dog seems to yawn excessively. So yawning can be a sign of stress. It definitely is something that we see a lot of dogs do when they are stressed out. Yawning can also be a sign of pain or discomfort. So we can see dogs yawn when they're not feeling well. There are a lot of different things that can cause yawning. Usually it's not a sign of fatigue in dogs. So if your dog is yawning excessively that may be a reason to seek veterinary care and just make sure there's nothing going on.

Yawning can be a sign of stress in dogs, so if your dog is yawning excessively it could be a sign of pain or discomfort that warrants veterinary care.

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Yes, dogs yawning can be a sign of stress. Yawning is often observed in dogs when they are feeling stressed or anxious. It can also indicate pain or discomfort. While there can be various reasons for yawning in dogs, it is typically not related to fatigue. If your dog is yawning excessively, it may be a good idea to consult a veterinarian to ensure there are no underlying health issues causing this behavior.

How do you determine if a dog need a hemilaminectomy?

Expert Evaluation Essential: Determining If a Dog Needs Hemilaminectomy

How do you determine if a dog needs a hemilaminectomy? So a hemilaminectomy is basically disc surgery, so it's a disc removal, so a disc that's compressing a nerve root. So this should only be determined by a veterinarian and typically the people that are doing these surgeries are board-certified surgeons and veterinary neurologists. This is not generally a surgery that your general practitioner would or should be doing, so this is something that needs to be evaluated by one of these specialists. They do a neurologic exam to determine whether or not this is a candidate for medical management first, meaning strict rest and pain medications, or whether it needs to go directly to surgery. And usually the deciding factor is whether or not the patient has a pain response. If they do not have a pain response without surgery, even with surgery, the chances may not be good for return to function, but without surgery they're definitely not going to get better. So this is a decision that should be made by a boarded specialist based on a neurologic exam and potentially also CT findings and the level of pain.

A Hemi laminectomy is a type of disc surgery that should only be determined by a board-certified veterinarian or Veterinary neurologist. A neurologic exam and potentially CT findings are used to determine whether the patient needs medical management, such as pain medications, or if surgery is necessary.

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Determining if a dog needs a hemilaminectomy, which is disc surgery to remove a disc compressing a nerve root, should be left to veterinarians who are board-certified surgeons or veterinary neurologists. General practitioners typically do not perform this surgery. These specialists will conduct a neurologic exam to assess whether the dog can be managed medically with strict rest and pain medications or if surgery is necessary. The presence of a pain response is usually a deciding factor. If the dog does not respond to medical management, surgery may be required. It's important to note that even with surgery, the chances of return to normal function may not be guaranteed, but without surgery, improvement is unlikely. Ultimately, the decision should be made by a specialized veterinarian based on the neurologic exam, possible CT findings, and the dog's level of pain.

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Lauren Adelman answers your Pets questions. See all the advice Lauren Adelman has and get answers to your own Pets questions.

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Dr. Lauren Adelman earned her veterinary degree from the University of Calgary in 2012 where she was part of the inaugural class. Following graduation, she completed a small animal rotating internship at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital followed by a one-year specialty internship in emergency and critical care at North Carolina State University. Dr. Adelman then moved to Knoxville where she completed a three-year small animal internal medicine residency at the University of Tennessee. She achieved diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialty of Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2017. Dr. Adelman is currently practicing at Canada West Veterinary Specialists in Vancouver, BC., where her particular areas of interest include gastroenterology, nephrology and urology, and infectious disease. She is trained to perform a variety of state-of-the-art minimally-invasive procedures.