You don’t need to use strong chemicals to clean up after your dog – vinegar will do the job.  Any kind of vinegar – Wal Mart has Cleaning Vinegar which has a lower pH, and it is found in the grocery section with all the other vinegar.  You can mix the vinegar with water, 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water.  This neutralizes the smell of urine, and kills bacteria/germs.  The vinegar smell disappears as it dries.  You can use the same mix to rinse her off when she has an accident – just stand her in the tub, hose her off with plain water, then using a squirt bottle, work the vinegar and water mix into her coat to deodorize her.

Are you taking her out to pee just before she goes into her crate at night?  Have you taken her to a vet to see if she has a bladder infection?  Many dogs don’t like to pee on decks or balconies and so they hold it as long as they can – which can lead to bladder infections.  In a 15 year old dog, even the stress of a new home can lead to complications in her health.

Have you considered dog diapers?  There are several brands out there for dogs that can not control their bladders – so you would walk her, then put her into her crate with a diaper on.  You just have to pay attention that she does not develop a diaper rash or sores.

This girl has spent her entire life loving you – and she deserves the best you can offer to her.  Take her for a check up, and work to keep her comfortable, and with you. 

And last of all – don’t send her to die in a shelter.  At her age she will not be adopted and in the days before they kill her, she will be sad, depressed, and wondering where her people are.  Don’t condemn her to worry and confusion by giving her away.  If you truly can’t keep this girl after all that she has done for you, the least you can do is take her to a vet and have her put down while she is in your loving arms. 

That’s why I’m asking for advice/ solutions obviously I don’t want to give her away but given my condition and just everything going on with her I’m not even giving her the treatment she should be getting… And as far as I’m concerned this is not a site where you go and bash people for their situations and or judge given you don’t know me lol.

Look at some youtube videos about introducing harness or muzzles to your dog – use the same principles for the diapers. Zak George has a good one to watch. Let her sniff and treat. Then touch it to her and treat, lay it on her back and then treat. Treat then remove it. Treat then remove it, repeat, repeat, repeat. Work slowly until it is finally on place. Take it off and treat. Put it on- take it off and treat. Put it on, lure her to take a few steps , take it off and treat. Repeat. Good luck.

I have found that as a dog ages they just can’t hold it long enough any more. Even older dogs usually take to paper training. Maybe you could try that. My Rheana is 17 and now lives in the corner of the couch. When she wants down she scratches my leg or the corner of the couch. She can no longer make the trek through the house to go out the doggy door. At 15 I was able to paper train her and she now goes on a piece newspaper under the coffee table only a foot away.

maybe he has blue points?  the photos are pretty grainy – hard to tell.  but pointed cats USUALLY tend to be related to Siamese cats and their sub-breeds.

For the first week I thought he would just be a little white cat with pink tips lol.. and of course a little more hairy than normal.. but the over night his nose and ears started turning grey.. so now im just all confused. But I’d like to do some research on the breed like temperament, health, grooming, and overall personality but cant really do that without somewhat of an idea of where to start.. also! Hes not quite 3 weeks yet and his paws open to about the size of a quarter, covering the tip of my thumb with no problem.. that kinda seems like huge paws for such a tiny kitten, or is that pretty much normal? Im just thinking big paws means big cat, and he sure does have an appetite too! He can finish between 15-30ccs in a matter of mins, like 10 being the absolute tops! Then he’ll burp potty (sometimes play and cuddle) then straight back to bed lol

btw, there’s no real breed called a long hair Siamese. there are Balinese cats, and they’re…noisy. demanding. affectionate if you build a relationship with them. for now, just keep that baby healthy…in a few more weeks we might be able to figure it out together. he doesn’t have the smushed face of a Himi, so if he truly is a longhair i’d consider him a Balinese mix or a Siamese mix until proven otherwise.

i’m not so good at sexing cats…i’ve never owned a kitten! but if you post photos over on a website like Photobucket or Flickr, then post the link here, we can all enjoy photos of the nugget. 😀

you seem to be doing great so far. 🙂 make sure he gets to the vet around 10 weeks of age for a checkup, shots, etc.

and if he IS a Siamese/Balinese/etc. kitten? expect to have a screamer on your hands. 😉 they’re NOISY. i brought home my Balinese from the shelter when i lived alone because i wanted someone to talk to. now, well… this is my life: https://youtu.be/ad42HbrGwWo

this is every day. if he’s awake, he’s yelling at me.

like i said, Balinese cats. they look like fluffy Siamese. i’d call them a medium hair cat. they don’t get mats like Maine Coons, but i would still train this baby to accept brushing. i’d start him now with a toothbrush, so it’s VERY gentle on his skin.

My baby kitty meow during our cuddle sessions, playtime, and anytime I put him in the floor or back in his carrier and he isn’t ready. I was so worried about it for a whole week but I was feeding him, helping him potty, burping, and making sure he was clean dry and warm so I knew he didn’t need anything.. I just assumed he didn’t wanna be alone lol. But if he’s one of those vocal breeds then I guess he’s just talking the best way he knows how lol

kittens meow anyway – they’re calling Momma. and no, they don’t want to be alone.

Oh wow! The only time I even hear Cali is when she’s sliding across my hardwood at 3 am, or if I let her food or water bowl get completely empty, she could be stuffed full and still demand I fill it all the way back up for the next time she decides she’s hungry lol. So that may take some getting used to.. oh, and I’ve read several places that say I can try weaning and litter training at 3 weeks and others say 4.. what do you think?? Hes literally 2 days shy of 3 weeks and he’s downing 30+ccs 5 times a day if I let him and thats in generally 5 mins or less. I burp him and make him potty. But yet he’s also still have “accidents” at LEAST once a day where he’s pooping and peeing in his carrier ON HIS OWN. So im also changing blankets and stuffed animals and doing baths, towel and blow dries daily!

He is also starting the walk.. or wordless shall I say, quite well. I mean he does tumble over from time to time and he’s a little shaky but he can get around to be so tiny

Yes! That is Cali!!! Lol im assuming that’s why someone dumped her bc they thought she was inbred or something :/ she’s quite intelligent tho! She can open cabinets, drawers, and doors! She loves to play with bottle tops, bc she can pick them up in her hands and wonder the house with them! Its actually quite crazy how those extra toes can allow her to do basically anything us humans can do!!! And yes, i do have her.. she just like him I was supposed to take in a nurse back to help and find forever homes for… BUT guess who fell in love :/ lol. Especially since my city passed a law now where its illegal to feed strays and you will be fined and taken to jail. Which is ridiculous so I feel so sorry for these poor animals!

I may have to post on here… lol my local vet isn’t much help at all with baby kittens.. literally when I first took him in he was only hours old (still wet with his umbilical cord still attached) and over the last two weeks I’ve went to see him several times with questions, and I’ve found I got more help from the workers at petco, and petsense. Lol I’ve also called both emergency and regular vets offices in my area and many states away with all my questions and conserns lol. Then I found this! There’s just so many different opinions on how to do everything! 9 times out of 10 I try the first thing that I was told the most and if it doesnt work then try the other and back and forth until one finally works

Yes not to mention taking their food away isn’t going to make them disappear, just gonna make them more of a problem when they start acting like dogs and getting into garbage cans, under houses, and in open windows bc they are starving! They are just trying to survive too. It isn’t there fault people are too selfish and ignorant to realize a pet is forever, or at least their life span.. and with all these rescues there’s really no excuse not to get your cats fixed at the very least.

And since your an expert on bigger cats, maybe you can help me out with Cali! So when I first brought the newborn kitten in she was terrified of him. Like she would hiss, run away, and hide. Finally the last couple of days she will come up and smell him if he’s crying on the bed or floor, or while im feeding him.. but the second he walks to her she gets up and backs away, if he keeps following her she will leave the room. No more hissing and she is at least smelling him now. Do you think she is or will come around. Im scared to leave him out while she’s out :/ but I do realize he’s gonna need to get used to the house and being on his own and even being with her.. idk

Okay, yeah ill definitely get in touch with him! And thank you! Ill read up on that article in just a few mins also! But im assuming they dont bc I live across from a park which is one of the top places in the area right now that they are having the biggest “stray” issue.. other than like Wal-Mart. Lol (hints mommy kitty just putting dropping her baby on my doorstep) but when I was searching for info at the local pet store the lady had told me that 3 of her “display” cats were strays they had trapped and turned in to them and apparently it has made quite a few people angry. But no one seems to care I guess :/

Oops* lol im sorry… I really wish our area would try something like that! I understand some of these cats were dumped and would be better and safer in a shelter or pet store until finding them actual homes, but what about these other cats that have been out there on there own there whole lives, no trusting people, in fact being quite terrified of people.. and cats are territorial so what these people are going to take a lets say 3 year old cat with absolutely no human interaction and abduct him from his friends, family, home, and everything he’s ever known to what, attempt to force him to be a house cat and accept people?? And then when he doesnt, im assuming they just put him to sleep… smh. Pathetic, it really is.

If your vet really said that a 3 year old dog can’t get mange she is crazy.  However, it most likely isn’t mange anyway.  With a terrier it is most likely an allergy.  The best thing to start with is a bath to get all the spores and pollen out of his coat.  Then a daily swim (do you have access to a swimming pool?) will help keep the pollen/spore count down on his body.  Even a small kiddy pool would help.  If you can’t get him swimming, then a daily rinse in a sink will help.  If you are doing the sink/tub rinse try using 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water – work it into the coat and skin and then let him shake and dry – don’t rinse the vinegar mix out.  The vinegar helps reduce the itch and helps the skin heal.

If he has any raw spots, pat on some Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera (found in any pharmacy), it too helps with the itch and helps the wound heal.

Try Zyrtec instead of the Benadryl, it seems to work better – use the same dose the vet mentioned for the Benadryl.  

Next, get all the grain out of this dog’s diet, that includes treats.  No sharing bread crusts, cookies, or corn chips!  Many terriers can not tolerate grains and this leads to allergic reactions – ear infections, chewed off fur, hot spots, etc.  Go to a good pet store and ask to be shown to the grain-free dog food area.  Then start reading the ingredients.  You want to find a dog food that lists real meat (it will name the meat!  ie. bison, pork, elk, lamb, salmon meal, turkey meal, etc) as the first 2 or 3 ingredients.  Do NOT buy any dog food that lists “by products” as an ingredient.

It can take up to 3 months for a dog to grow a new coat – so it is way too early for you to see much hair on this boy, also he could have scared the skin with scratching to the point that hair won’t come back at all.  But, don’t worry about that yet – it is too early so worry!  I once cured a dog with terrible mange and she grew a lovely coat everywhere but on her tail – poor little rat tail!  Then about a year later the hair started to grow!  And in 30 days she had a lovely Cairn tail, just in time to be adopted to her forever home.  I love a happy ending, don’t you!

Thank you for rescuing this boy – he is going to need TLC and a good diet to be all that he can be, but he will be worth it!

The signs of mange: terrible itching, on a scale of 1 to 10, mange is about a 20!  Really – it is the most itch a dog or human can have!  Look for little yellow puss filled bumps, or raised red spots, constant chewing and scratching, and him running his back and sides under tables and sofas, on the carpet, etc to scratch the itch.  If this is happening, find a new vet to do a skin scraping (which may well be negative since you applied the flea stuff recently).  The treatment is 3 dose of Revolution given 2 weeks apart.  So if your dog is showing these behaviors, I would ask the vet for the Revolution and treat the dog for mange even with a negative skin scrape.

But if he does not show these behaviors, just wait – a good diet and the daily swim/rinse will work wonders.

Good luck!

a wet washcloth is usually a good weapon against soap… 🙂

if it doesnt come off from grass wash it off its not like its gonna burn his or her paw just dont let him lick it

Frontline is not an immediate kill type of product.  Is there any flea dirt (small black pieces of flea feces) on your dog?  It is possible she picked up a couple of fleas when she went out to urinate/defecate. Also, the makers of Frontline suggest treating the animals (all animals in the house) for 3 consecutive months in order to eliminate a flea problem.

If you notice flea dirt on her then I would suggest contacting your vet about a product like trifexis, comfortis or nexgard.

Also – Frontline is now an OTC flea preventative that fleas are developing resistance to; so I am seeing a lot of patients with fleas and flea dirt that are using Frontline… just not very effective.

Dr K

a vet would really need to take a look at it to truly determine what it is.

I’m confused, why did u bathe him in dishwashing liquid?  Did he have fleas?

The dishwashing liquid will or has seriously dried out his skin.  I would recommend taking him to a vet to get his skin examined especially if he has open sores.

Good Luck