Oil in my hair?

If I put olive oil or coconut oil in my hair, how do I wash it out. Wouldn't oil make your hair oily and hard to wash it out? The answer is you want it to absorb into your hair. Leave it on the bottom third of your hair for as long as possible, then shampoo and condition normally. You can also use a tiny amount on the ends after your hair is dried. It will soak in. Shampoos are designed to dissolve oil. It's not like shampoo is water, where water and oil don't mix. Shampoos have the chemicals (or even natural things) to break down oils. It may take a few rinse and repeats to get it all out, but it shouldn't be that big of a problem.


Check out Beauty Brains and they explain that coconut oil is one of the few oils that actually penetrate
the hair shaft. I find mine sucks it up like a sponge. However you should only use it from about half the
hair shaft down. Make sure you only apply the oil to the ends and not on scalp which is where the natural oils of your hair is produced.

How can I get my toddler not to feed my dog?

I know this is not a forum for asking parenting questions, but I was hoping to get some advice from other parents who have dogs. One of my dogs is getting chunky and she is on diet food. Not free-fed. She eats 2x a day. The problem is that my son (2 years old) feeds her all the time. Usually I gate her in a different room from him but if I don't she is right by his chair waiting for him to drop something. Any tips on training my toddler or dog? I'd like for him to not feed her and for her to not sit right by him waiting and staring.

I'm thinking about starting to raw feed my dogs. I am hoping raw feeding will help her be less food obsessed because it's all natural and not junk dog food meaning it'll help her feel more full. I have been doing research online. Is it really as easy as buying a cut of meat & bone/a chicken/fish and some veggies and just giving it to your dog? Any tips and suggestions would be helpful!

I have a 5 month old Border Collie & 1 year old Corgi.

Our cat is starting to vomit a lot

I am catsitting two adorable boys for the summer while their owner is on extended vacation. One of them has occasionally vomited, no biggie, cats do that. A few days ago, he started to vomit every single night (and without fail, on or under my bed, thanks so much!)

He looks fine and healthy, has a cold nose, eats well, eliminates properly, and hasn't lost any weight. I feed them hairball-reducing dry food and brush both of them daily, so it shouldn't be a hairball issue. He does not properly chew his food though but rather inhales in the space of 5 seconds flat, but still, the daily vomiting is new, and he doesn't puke solid particles but brown liquid. He is 5 years old.

I tried to contact the kitties' owner to ask if that was normal but he is gallivanting around China so I guess he hasn't had a chance to check his email for a few days now. He expressly forbade me though to take any of them to a vet unless it's a real emergency. (I took one cat to the vet for a checkup after a fall/jump out of a third floor window, and the owner was pretty upset with me for taking him.)

Can you trust your Veterinarian?

I’m thinking that some vets are more interested in the money than the pet. Because of being unemployed and living on $1155 SS a month I use the clinics when they are in the area. (Yes both of my dogs are UTD and yes I was working when I adopted one of them. I was watching the other dog while an ex co-worker went on vacation and never came back.)

Today I took fecal samples to the vet to be tested. The dog that I was watching had whip worms when she came to stay with me and she was dragging her butt and I thought that maybe she has them again. The vet wouldn’t take them because the dogs hadn’t been seen in a year. The reasoning was that if they proved positive they wouldn’t treat them.

If there was something wrong I would bring them in and give up something else. (I have bought heart worm and flea/tick meds and skipped my own on occasion.) The vet wants me to spend $58 for each dog for an exam plus $28 each for the test. That’s $172. Then if they do have worms it’s another $58 plus meds for each dog. It’s money that I just don’t have.

Another example for thinking the vets over charge is because a month or so ago my cat (indoor) got cut on something and I did take him to the vet to make sure it was taken care of properly. That cost $58 for the office visit and they wanted another $77 for a shot of antibiotics. I refused the shot and asked for a script which I took to the pharmacy and got the meds for free.

If money was no object I would have taken the easy way out, but I’m not working and have all the time in the world to give oral meds every day for 2 weeks. Isn’t $77 a lot for antibiotics?

Just need a little pep talk

We just rescued a big mastiff mix. He is GREAT! I am home all day for the summer (teacher here) After three days, I have taught him his name, to sit and to shake. He is cute as can be and is going to be fine with the older dogs. But... I am tired! Playing peek-a-boo and "go get your ball" is exhausting. Also, my poor husband came home today so sad because the dog hasn't really gotten to know him yet, so the dog is sticking to me like glue. I know it is going to be great, but I need a little pep talk please.

The problem is, if it is a problem, I am home all day so I am really working with him. Hubby just wants to have the dog sit with him to watch the olympics, and hang out. Puppy was not treated well by his first owner. We assume a man had him. We were told the dog spent the first 7 months of his life on an apartment patio on a chain. Poor hubby says, "But I didn't mistreat him." 

I'm trying to get him into the Baby step mode. Small accomplishments are big celebrations. We are making progress. I showed him how I put a leash on the other dogs. Guess what happened... New guy grabbed the second leash out of my hand and ran with it across the yard! I could hear the "Nah nah nah nah nah" in my head Progress! 

Travel advice for two kitties

I will be moving my two kitties and myself soon. Not so bad from a human perspective, but these kitties only go outdoors/for car rides when they go to the vet, and my oldest is 22 (not a typo) with kidney failure, so she drinks often and a lot. Does anyone have any sage advice that just might help make this trip less stressful--for all of us?

Planning on moving from South Carolina back home to California. I purchased a car out here so we've decided to drive it back. Of course, boyfriend wants to bring his cat (who is somewhere between 7-9 years old), and of course I agreed. Much rather take him along than let him stay here (his mom has 14 dogs, etc.). This presents a huge list of firsts for me: First road trip across the country, first road trip I'll be driving, first road trip with any kind of animal and the list goes on. We're not leaving until the second week of September, so we have a long time to prepare for this trip.

So far the plan is to start the cat off in the morning with a walk and watering and to do the bulk of our feeding at night in the hotel. I'm thinking of stopping every 2 1/2 to 3 hours for breaks which would include more water and walking. I have a list of things we need to buy prior to the trip: Collar, harness, leash, tag, kennel, bowls, blankets for the kennel, dog first aid kit, small bag of his food. On top of that I need to get him up-to-date on his shots and somehow manage to find paperwork of his neuter for licensing in California.

Also, in addition to road trip advice, I really would love some advice about how to go about introducing this cat to my dog when we get there. Both are male and neutered. I know my dog gets along with other cats fairly well; but, I know that the only reason his cat was ever neutered was because he was fighting with another non-neutered male. My only thought was to get them away from the house to do introductions and crate them separately at the house until we're comfortable with their behavior.

Poor Buddy

Came home from morning errands and discovered he is having Sudden liquid diarrhea, with no apparent cause. Same food, no weird changes in home, UTD on shots... I have no idea what's going on. I watch him constantly when we are outside, and he's always on a leash. Maybe he ate a blade of grass with some sort of lawn chemical on it when outside? (Since people spray for weeds, fertilizer, etc, that is the only thing I could think of.)

I called my vet earlier and was advised to give him Flagyl. I still had some on hand, so we can do that for a few days. But I forgot to ask, and now the office is closed for the night, so I'm hoping Petfo folks would know...

My question is: Do I need to also have him fast tonight if he is already taking Flagyl? Or should I give him a little rice perhaps?

Poor Buddy keeps checking his bowl for his dinner and giving me "that look". (sigh)