Home

>

Cat

>

Training & Behavior

>

my hound dog has always been sensitive. Recently he found a baby bunny. After a day of playing cat/mouse with him he did nip at the bunny and some fur was ripped off. We saved the bunny and let it lose elsewhere. Now the dog is a mess. I think he is upset about where the bunny is and misses him. He has never been violent and we have a cat that he spends hours with daily, sitting and wanting to play with him but NEVER hurts the cat. He wont leave my side, wont eat.

my hound dog has always been sensitive. Recently he found a baby bunny. After a day of playing cat/mouse with him he did nip at the bunny and some fur was ripped off. We saved the bunny and let it lose elsewhere. Now the dog is a mess. I think he is upset about where the bunny is and misses him. He has never been violent and we have a cat that he spends hours with daily, sitting and wanting to play with him but NEVER hurts the cat. He wont leave my side, wont eat.

Updated On July 14th, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 35 lbs

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

Poor Hawkeye! This is one of those situations where if he could only talk! Dogs do mourn losses but this should only last a couple days. If he is acting sick beyond 48 hours, I recommend to have him examined to make sure there is not a medical cause which may be making him act this way. At home, things you can do which help with mourning including increasing the daily exercise, add in an additional training session, stick to your normal routine and create a new association around the area where the bunny was. When he goes out to smell the area, play ball with him. This can help him to not focus on the missing rabbit. That is very good that he is wonderful with the cat. Do know that dogs are situational and the bunny is a new situation. I'm very impressed he didn't initial hurt the bunny but I am not surprised the behavior escalated. Bunny are a prey species, especially for hunting dogs. I would recommend extreme caution in future situations. I hope this helps and that Hawkeye gets back to normal quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

See More Answers

Related Questions

My dog I heated uses tampon is it an emergency

Unfortunately I'm having a little trouble understand your question as I'm not sure what you mean by "My dog I heated uses tampons..." I'm wondering if Bella ate a tampon or if you wanted to use one on her while she is in heat. I will answer both to be safe. If she ate a tampon, then yes this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. Tampons can easily cause obstructions in the GI tract, especially since they are absorbent and can get large in the stomach from liquid in there. if Bella ate a tampon, you need to take her into a vet immediately to get it removed. If she is on heat, no you cannot use a tampon to control her bleeding. It's not safe to use at all, and are not meant for dogs. You can put a diaper on her to catch any bloody discharge. There are dog specific diapers online and at pets stores, or you can use one made of a human child. Just cut a hole in it for her tail. Hopefully this answers your question. If it doesn't, I'm sorry and ask you post again in the forum for free to it can get answered!

Read More

My puppy had parvo virus. If I bring a fully vaccinated dog here, can it infect the new dog? Is there still a risk?

If they new dog is a year old and you are completely sure that that it is 100 percent vaccinated there is a very minimal risk that it will be infected. However, that being said, vaccines are never 100 percent effective so there is always a 0.09 percent chance that the new dog could get the virus. But you should be safe bringing the new dog home. I would make sure that the home environment has been cleaned as thoroughly as possible (this means with bleach to all surfaces) and make sure that the outdoor surfaces have been cleaned as well. Parvo can live in the environment for an annoyingly long time (up to 6 months) so it wouldn't hurt to apply a safe mixture of bleach product to your yard as well. This is probably going completely overboard, but you know how scary parvo can be!

Read More

My barrel racing horse is refusing to eat. She stands with her butt against the stall wall and rests her hocks. She usually stops this when I exercise her. What is going on?

If she's not eating, she's eating painful, colicky, or both. Take a heart rate if you know how to do this--normal is 20-40 beats/minute. If it's higher than this, she's painful and needs to see a veterinarian. If she is rolling, looking at her sides, or not passing manure, she needs to see a vet as these are signs of colic. If you really think she's resting her hocks, then they are sore, and she needs xrays to see what kind of arthritis is going on and what steps you need to take to make her more comfortable. Hope that helps!

Read More

I have a cat that as a kitten was very ill. We got him from 7 months old. We knew he’d had cat flu prior to him coming here. He is now nearly 5 yrs old. He picks huge fights with our other cat. He keeps urinating and scratching at doors and windows around the house. We allow him to go out via the cat flap unlimited. What is happening to him

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

Read More

Hi! My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He’s taking insulin and taking antibiotics for a Uti. It’s been 4 weeks and he wobles when he’s walking. He can’t jump up on the bed like he used to.He’s blood sugar is 250 it’s better than it used to. I don’t understand why he’s so wobbly.

Cats can develop what's called diabetic neuropathy, where their hindlegs become progressively weak. The best thing to do is try to get his diabetes under control as quickly as possible. Here is a link describing the conditon: http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Neuropathy.htm

Read More

Can I reapply flea treatment early? It’s been 2 weeks with no results.

A [flea](https://www.petcoach.co/article/fleas-life-cycle-anatomy-disease-transmission) infestation on your pet or in your home can be [difficult and frustrating](https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-are-fleas-so-hard-to-kill) to deal with. Yes, if after two weeks the [flea preventive you applied isn't working](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-reasons-your-flea-prevention-isnt-working), you can reapply flea treatment early, or switch to another brand. I recommend using Advantix or a chewable prescription product from your vet, like Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, or Credelio. This recommendation is unrelated to Petco or PetCoach. If you are seeing fleas on Mia now, you can give her Capstar ([Nitenpyram](https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/nitenpyram)). It's a one time pill that starts killing adult fleas in 30 minutes and is safe to use with a topical treatment. Use a monthly preventive on all pets for at least 3 consecutive months to break the flea life cycle. Year round use is preferred. You will also have to [treat the environment](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas). Wash all bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. Discard of the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately afterwards. Use a spray, such as Indoorex or Knockout ES, in the house and to prevent reinfestation.

Read More

image

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Filed Under

Sponsored