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I have a one year old chocolate lab. He chews all my clothes while I’m sleeping or not watching him. He gets into my garbage and tears things apart. This morning be knocked my side table over by my bay window and broke a flower pot.
Hi,
We have an almost 13 year old chocolate lab named Koko. About 5 weeks ago, she had a seizure. We took her into the vet and they prescribed Phenobarbital to help control the seizures. Since then, she has been incontinent in the house, and has to go outside very frequently (which is a side effect to this medication). This is a problem when my husband and i both work Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. She has accidents in the house almost every day. Thankfully we put her in our laundry room which has wood floors so clean up is a little easier, but it still is stressful being that she usually pees, and then walks through it all day long tracking it everywhere in that room and gets urine all over herself. Especially when she has seizures, she paces for hours afterwards until finally calming down. We have tried NUMEROUS different types of diapers, doggy diapers (vets best from Petco, womens depends, XXL childrens diapers) and even tried buying suspenders and attaching those onto the diapers and around her to try to keep it on, but NOTHING stays on throughout the whole day. I just bought the “Dog Diaper Keeper” off Amazon today so I am crossing my fingers that it’ll work, if not i dont know what to do.
Besides that, my husband and I also have noticed that she has become increasingly anxious during the day and night time. She has always been on the more anxious side but lately it’s been getting worse, fast.
Since starting the Phenobarbital, she has had 3 more bigger seizures that we are aware of and since then have been to the vet and they have also prescribed Potassium Bromide which she is taking alongside the Phenobarb. We also noticed she started having facial seizures which the vet said could either mean the Phenobarb/Potassium Bromide are working and controlling the bigger seizures, or if the facial seizures continue along with big seizures it could be time for a CT scan.
In the last couple weeks, she has begun to wake up very early in the morning (3am) barking. We thought that maybe she was scared to be alone since having seizures, or is starting to get Alzheimer’s. Her kennel is in our living room so we thought that moving her into our room would help knowing that we were there, but it hasn’t. We also take her outside to go to the bathroom and that doesn’t seen to solve anything either. We are afraid to feed her too early because we don’t want her to get in the habit of eating that early in the morning. We have tried everything we can think of and she still continues to bark at all hours in the morning. The vet also prescribed her Diazapam to calm her down after seizures, but we are reluctant to use that to calm her down just because she is barking at night and hasn’t had a seizure.
We fully understand that it’s not her fault, and that she is getting old and is needing some extra TLC. But we feel so bad because we can’t figure out what she needs/wants. We desperately want to help her and keep her comfortable throughout the night.
Do you or anyone else have any advice for us? For the early morning barking or the diaper issue? Anything is greatly appreciated!
-Ashley
I have a female boxador who weighs about 40lbs.
She has eaten about a half a slice of dark chocolate pie.
will she be okay?
We live in remote Alaska, with no immediate access to a clinic. What do you believe is the best course of action?
If it has been within 3 hours I would recommend making her vomit to get the pie back out of her stomach. Additionally, I would contact animal poison control and discuss this problem with them. Likely she will be okay with just some gastrointestinal upset but poison control can give you better information.
Good Luck, I hope she is fine.
Dr Dawn
My 8 week old chocolate lab twitches her eye and bring up her left side of her mouth. Was just wondering if that a weak muscle because that what a vet said or what?
i have a chocolate lab that is 15 years old she sometimes has a hard time getting up with her age,i have just started a new product called ANTINOL by vetz petz,which is an all natural product.my question is: prior to giving her ANTINOL,for years i have been giving her 650mg(4 pills a day)of glucosamine,a daily vitamin(consists of multi-vitamin a,b,e two pills aday) and 4 pills a day of brewers yeast for skin and coat,with her now taking ANTINOL,Can she still take the other pills safely with ANTINOL,OR SHOULD I DISCONTINUE the other pills.i would appreciate a veterinarian answering my question!!!! thank you very much!
Hi Dale,
I’m not a vet, just lifelong experience with a variety of animals, but until a vet see’s your post I’ll chime in. . Prior to giving your dog any supplements or other pills you should consult your vet to determine if the supplement is needed or not. Sometimes an underlying condition could be the cause of your pets problem. At 15yrs old, that’s pretty senior for a lab and I’d be thinking at this point your pet may need a heavier type of medication to help with the stiffness and pain involved with getting up.
Looking forward to what vet’s reply.
Good luck!
~kelly
Maltese. 10 pounds. ate an old chocolate brownie that is the size of a hand. acting fine, playing, barking, running, but panting and has a weird breathing pattern. but she is taking medication because she has Addison’s disease
what do I do?
can’t afford to take her to the vet
I called my vet and they said to bring her in but I can’t afford to
My chihuahua mix ate one chocolate no bake cookie she’s 4 years old about 10-15 pounds and has shown no signs of illness so far it’s been about 3-4 hours since she ate it will she be fine.
I’m shore she will be fine but chocolate increases dogs hart beat so keep a close eye on her if she starts to show any signs call the vet right away
Hello. I have a 5 month old dog – mix of Chocolate Lab and German Short Hair Pointer. What kinds of tests do you recommend before I spay my dog? What age is she ready for these? Thank you!
Hi Diedra
I believe what you’re referring to is a standard pre-anesthesia blood test …? Those are certainly a good thing to do. There is no age restriction for blood tests. In fact, it is good to do a blood panel regularly, for screening purposes as well as establishing baseline values.
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2012/july/do_not_opt_out_of_pre-anesthetic_lab_work-26535
As for the ideal age for spay itself, that is a somewhat controversial issue, as there are pros and cons to both doing it early and waiting. I suggest you do your research on the subject as well as discuss ideal timing with your veterinarian.
My dog Maizie is a mix Chocolate Lab Dalmation. She is going to turn 14 in a month. Over the past year she has lost most of her muscle and her back legs look especially thin and wobbly. She has a large living room to live in and is let outside through a door with a very small step. What can I do for her to help her body be as strong and safe? Also, she eats best when her dry food is mixed with a little canned food, is that ok?
Hello,
Thanks for your question.
Congratulations on all of the things you must have been providing and giving to Maizie to get her to an astounding age of 14! Did you know that most labs and dalmatians only live to about 12? 14 years old is amazing!
There are many things that you can do to help her age gracefully and maintain her strength, stamina, and vigor.
Diet is a great place to start. Ask your veterinarian about which diets they like and recommend for her. I like Science diet J/D. The "J" is for joint. I also like a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement like Dasaquin daily. I have a 16 year old dog and I encourage her to eat by mixing a great dry food with an equally high quality wet food. I make great efforts to keep her eating well, like feeding her twice a day. I have also begun using a dog food gravy to make her food even a tiny bit more exciting. Muscle mass is lost because of two reasons, not enough exercise, and not enough dietary protein.
Most of the older dogs that I see are losing peripheral hind limb muscle mass from chronic dis-use. They aren’t getting enough exercise to maintain muscle mass because it hurts too much to move. So after a thorough physical exam I discuss x-rays, and bloodwork and an NSAID. This is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. it helps many dogs feel better and takes away some, or even all, of their pain. At 14 years old I think it is very important to make the remaining days, however many they may be, comfortable. I also think that a thick (about 6 inches), orthopedic bed helps on those bony achey joints.
I recommend twice yearly exams to better monitor and manage the aging process. Blood work, urinalysis, radiographs, and thorough physical examinations will help keep Maizie happy, healthy, and mobile for her days yet to come.
Wishing you and Maizie continued longevity. If you would like to set up a geriatric exam with us we can be reached at Jarrettsville Veterinary Center in Jarrettsville MD.
Sincerely,
Krista Magnifico, DVM
Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
Jarrettsville MD
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jarrettsvillevet.com
thank you for all the information and great advice!! i would like to set up an exam please.
I would love to see Maizie.
I can be reached at http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com.
Hope to see you soon!
crate training is something i’d look into, as well. if he cannot be trusted, then he should not have full access to your home. i agree with Dr. Magnifico, he needs a lot more work from you to keep his boredom in check.
eventually he may get an obstruction if you allow this to continue. obstructions are costly and can be fatal. nip this in the bud NOW.
Oops my question got cut off. I was asking how do I stop this? He was to the vet yesterday. He does have an ear infection which I got drops for. Other than that the vet said he is healthy. It is mostly during the night when I am sleeping that this behavior happens. Except for the trash picking. I have to keep the bathroom door shut so he doesn’t get into the garbage. Also it seems like he knows he is in the wrong when I acknowledge this misbehavior. He gets out for walks just not as much due to the cold winter. He is not nutered. Could that play a big part in it? Thank you for your reply.
again: obedience training and crate training. the obedience training will help tire him out, the crate will keep him contained.
Okay I will look into obedience training and keeping him in the crate at night. Thank you.
Also, any recommendations on dry itchy skin? I brush him daily and put canine omega 3 in him food which has helped a bit but not entirely.
this could be potentially fixed with a higher quality food. what does he eat now?
i would consider wiping him down with coconut oil, too.