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My German shepherd, Butch, developed a bump on his eye this morning, literally in the span of about an hour. We had our regular morning routine, which consists of a walk and lots of cuddles for the dogs. I know he did not have anything on his eye then. We brought my oldest down to the bus at 6:50, and he did not have anything on his eye then either. When we brought my two younger kids down to the bus, I noticed he had a sort of angry, red pimple above his eye. I cleaned it off with warm water as soon as we got back up from the bus stop and it sort of “popped” a bit as soon as I put the warm compress on it. It was a bit of clear fluid/blood, but not that much. A little bit on the paper towel, that’s it. It has not gotten any bigger at all today, has not drained at all and does not seem to be bothering him. Any thoughts as to what it could be? I’m thinking if it is still there in the morning that I’ll be bringing him into the vet to make sure it isn’t anything serious. I’ve uploaded a few photos, but they aren’t very clear. It really looks more like a pimple than the photo shows.
Only aggressive with food, and only started to outwardly be aggressive with food this week. Other than that they get along fine.
My German Shepard is gentle with humans, this aggression is only towards my other dog. ( I can hand feed my german, she sits and only eats when I tell her to.) My peke is not showing aggression or challenging my german.
I would immediately change your feeding schedule. Feed in separate rooms through whelping and until the litter has been sold. GSDs are known for moderate same sex aggression…throwing pregnancy into that mix increases that instinct.
Your breed mentor should have told you this.
This was definitely an unplanned pregnancy, I had only had her for a week or two before she went into heat (She only just turned a year in July.) And we are new to the area so ironically there is a male Shepard down the road who did as he pleased while Danu (my Shepard,) was tied up. I did not know they are known for moderate same sex aggression so that is very helpful. I am having low confidence lately concerning whether or not Danu is a good fit for our home and if this can be broken even after the litter is gone.
SSA is temperament, not training. It *cannot* be trained out. She may go back to “normal” once the puppies are gone…or she may not. Give her time, at least, to get the hormones out of her system before you decide to rehome her again.
If you do, please go through a German Shepherd rescue to get her placed. This will ensure she goes to an appropriate, experienced GSD home.
There seems to only be aggression when food is involved, not toys or anything like that, but I can tell my first dog, Ladybird, the Peke mix, is not relaxed at all. So in theory, if Danu was male we would not be having this issue?
also, danu is not fully German Shepard, she has rottie in her as well, don’t know if this makes any a difference, and her original house hold Danu had to fight with many other dogs in a small home, not have access to food and water for weeks, it was bad living conditions.
Well, like I said, she *may* go back to normal afterward. Regardless, do NOT allow them to eat in the same room.
It sounds like Danu has a lot of issues. If I may ask, why didn’t you terminate the pregnancy early?
Danu, despite her original environment has come a long way since when we first got her, and it has only been up to this week has she shown such aggression. So its really taken me aback, because this is not her, I would not allow a dog into my home that would cause hazard to my animals. I did not terminate the pregnancy early because quite frankly, we did not know FOR SURE she was pregnant. She was not showing normal symptoms or signs.
and right now, they are both sleeping, no issues, previously Danu licked ladybird in good gesture, so I know the trigger is food.
Noted.
Well, hormones make everyone do crazy things, including our dogs. I think, once the puppies have been rehomed (please use a rescue to help you with that, to ensure they end up in appropriate homes), get her in an obedience class. It’s impossible to say just how she’ll behave once she’s no longer nursing and is spayed, you know?
Absolutely, I just want to make sure I am taking the necessary steps to create a harmonious environment. I have never dealt with pregnancy in dogs, it was certainly not something I was looking forward to, but I guess the perfect storm occurred. I do appreciate you talking with me for I was freaking out this morning, I just hope things go well, and I will make sure the pups are in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing and are qualified.
Hiya, my 6 year old German Shepherd has been limping oddly since last Wednesday but doesn’t seem to be upset or anything by it. She is really happy and still playing etc which is weird as normally if she hurts herself she acts like she is dying! But occasionally, especially when she has layed down for a while she can split her legs ever so slightly. She can still jump on the sofas etc too.
Have you tried putting her on crate rest for 24-48 hours to see if the limp will resolve on its own? Allowing her to continue behaving normally is preventing it from healing and may be making it worse.
Crate rest means in the crate for the duration, and all potty breaks are on leash. Out to toilet, then back inside…no walks, no play.
HI THERE, MY DOG HAS EPILEPSY. HE IS ON POTASSIUM BROMIDE AND PHENOBARBITAL. GERMAN SHEPHERD. SINCE STARTING MEDS HE HAS GAINED 45 POUNDS. HE HAS ATAXIA, WHICH IS GETTING PRETTY BAD. WE DECIDED TO SWITCH HIM TO A DIET DOG FOOD TO HELP HIM LOSE WEIGHT, SO THAT WE COULD ULTIMATELY LOWER HIS MEDICATION DOSAGE. OUR VET CONCURRED. SHE DID NOT MENTION THAT CHANGING HIS DIET WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE SALT LEVELS BECAUSE OF THE BROMIDE HE WAS TAKING. AS SOON AS WE SWITCHED HIS FOOD HE STARTED SEIZING. HE HAS HAD ABOUT 7 OVER THE LAST 2 DAYS (HE WAS SEIZURE FREE FOR ALMOST 3 MONTHS). WE LIKE THE NEW FOOD WE PICKED BECAUSE IT IS BETTER QUALITY (FROMM) AND DOES NOT HAVE ROSEMARY EXTRACT, WHICH HAS BEEN LINKED TO SEIZURES. BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF WE SHOULD STOP IT AND GO BACK TO HIS OLD FOOD, OR HOW TO TRANSITION BACK/FORWARD. HE WAS PREVIOUSLY ON NUTRO LARGE BREED ADULT FOOD. I CANNOT FIND THE CHLORINE CONTENT FOR NUTRO, BUT THE CHOLINE CHLORIDE CONTENT FOR FROMM IS 2887.63 IU/KG (71.47 IU/100 CAL). I DON’T TRUST MY VET ANYMORE TO ASK HER, AS THEY HAVE NOT TOLD US ANYTHING ABOUT BROMIDE AND SALT LEVELS. I HAVE HAD TO RESEARCH ALL OF THIS ON MY OWN, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NO VETERINARY TRAINING. APPARENTLY, GOOGLE IS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN MY DOG’S VET. IF SOMEONE COULD ADVISE US ON NEXT STEPS WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. WE WANT A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR DOG, ONE WHERE HE DOESN’T SLIDE HIS BACK LEGS DOWN THE STAIRS AND FALL DOWN BECAUSE HIS BACK LEGS ARE TOO WEAK. SO WE KNOW THAT A DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGE IS IMPORTANT. BUT WE NEED SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE THE CHANGES, AND HOW FAST/ HOW TO TRANSITION, BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE CHANGE HIS DIET IT APPEARS TO TRIGGER SEIZURES (WE SWITCHED HIM TO LIQUID BROMIDE BACK IN MARCH AND RIGHT AWAY HE GOT CLUSTERS AND ENDED UP IN EMERGE AND SEVERELY MEDICATED FOR A FEW DAYS). WE DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN, SO WOULD PREFER TO FIX THIS ON OUR OWN. BASICALLY, I’M ASKING, SHOULD I GO OUT TOMORROW MORNING AND PICK UP HIS OLD DOG FOOD AND SWITCH HIM BACK COLD TURKEY? OR SHOULD WE STICK WITH THE NEW BETTER FOOD AND SEE IF HE GETS USED TO IT AND THE SEIZURES STOP? OR SHOULD I BUY HIS OLD FOOD AND MIX IT WITH THE NEW FOOD FOR A WHILE, AND WILL THIS EVEN HELP? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN DO? THANK YOU KINDLY FOR YOUR TIME. “
My question would be whether it’s the change in itself or something else present in the food triggering the seizures. I do agree that rosemary extract seems to be suspect in contributing to seizures. I also agree that putting on weight isn’t good for anything. My best recommendation would be to work with an integrative vet at this point. I know a number of people who used this modality for managing seizures with great success. An integrative veterinarian can also be of great assistance with diet and actually food therapy, as well as acupuncture and herbal therapy, all of which can be quite helpful. If it was my dog this is the direction I’d go in from here.
hello,my 3 years old female german sheperd had 2 days ago her heat cycle started i know it cause of bleed. the thing is that since 2 days ago she hasn’t bleed again, why ?
Dogs bleed during only the beginning of the heat cycle. Usually longer than 2 days. She may be keeping herself so clean you don’t notice the blood. All my dogs do this.
Hi my German shepherd dogs penis is soft towards it’s tip during and erection which has made him unable to breed please help me out of problems
please neuter him. that’s the answer to your problem – neuter him. he doesn’t need to breed, and if he is UNABLE to breed, then he should be neutered to ensure he has a happy life.
Since he’s unable to breed you might as well get him neutered. He will be a much less frustrated dog. An intact dog smells a female in heat and if he can’t get to her or is unsuccessful in his attempts it causes anxiety and frustration. It’s cruel for him to spend his whole life that way. I don’t believe there is a solution to his problem, so neutering is the kindest thing you can do for him.
Debra and Laura are correct, a dog with conditions such as this should NOT be bred. This dog obviously has underlying conditions that are undesirable in future generations! Have him neutered and enjoy his companionship.
I have a German shepherd and her hind legs are swollen and she can’t walk much. She is 6. Any way to help relieve the pain before I can get her to a bet tomorrow? Ice? Heat? Anything?
i’d also worry about DM, knowing how prevalent it is in GSDs.
Thank you. I will get her there first thing tomorrow morning
My 3 year old German Shepherd has always had these issues: Excessive water intake, Scarfs down his food in seconds, Will not gain weight, Urinates and Defecates in the house and seems un-trainable, He constantly paces and just wont set still unless he is kenneled and he will still do circles and pace in his cage if he does set still out of it its for a minute at most, He recently though lost some hair on his stomach in a larch patch close to his chest.
get his kidneys checked with an ultrasound. get a full urinalysis done as well as bloodwork. we had these symptoms in our first dobe, and it turned out he had something called renal displaysia – his kidneys were underdeveloped. eventually he went into renal failure after a bout of dehydration.
How long could a dog live with Renal Displaysia? And those tests are under way waiting until next paycheck and I am taking him in just wanting to be prepared for something exactly like what your saying.
do what Laura says i think thats a good idea
your dog has already outlived mine, so i can’t really give an accurate estimate.
I was only asking since he is 3 I am just looking for some hope that thats not it although its really the only thing that has made any sense. He goes in Friday for tests this is more just a form of support in a sense I am preparing myself for what the answers could be at first I thought the worst thing would be diabetes so hearing this is pretty concerning. Another thing about him that would lead me to believe that correct me please if I am wrong though, he was the runt….Would that be more likely to give a dog that diesese?
though, according to the folks at UPenn, it CAN be the reason a dog doesn’t develop properly. that’s what happened to our boy. he didn’t develop properly, was the smallest at birth, etc.
My dog is a 45 lb. German Shepherd mixed with American Terrier 7 year old suffering from something that I don’t know. This started about 4 months ago and has progressed to the point to where he constantly needs a cone on. He cobstantly agressivly licks his underbelly to the point where it has become raw and leathery.at times the area is red and swollen and others its is just leathery looking. Sometimes the area is moist and has a foul odor.recently he has started scratching his nose to the point to where he bleeds and when he is pet he favors those ares.please refer tot the pictures I have included. The vets gave him steroids and antibiotics buy that didn’t seem to help.We have also changed his food as recommended by the vet but nothing changed. the skin scrape of the area also came back negative for bacteria and mites. It sucks that I don’t know what the cause is, please help.
My friend has the same problem have you resolve this problem
Is it in the same area? I haven’t resolved the issue as of now, but I plan to find a better vdt but price is a real concern.live paid almost 300$ and have found out nothing concrete.
My girlfriend and I were planning to get a pair of dogs very soon. We have narrowed down our list to a few breeds, and we were wondering which two would have the best chemistry.
The breeds we have in mind are:
Siberian Husky
Golden Retriever (Red)
Samoyed
Australian Shepherd
German Shepherd
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Shikoku (Hard to get I know).
I know this may seem like kind of a dumb question, but I know that getting something like a yorkie and a high prey drive big dog isn’t a good idea. I know none of these dogs would kill each other, but I just want to have the most compatibility as possible.
Thanks!
if i would you, i’d do a LOT of research. you’re all over the place with those breeds and i wonder what has drawn you to this list, specifically? what are you looking for? what’s your daily routine? do you have a fence? are you active people? have you ever had dogs in the past, let alone high energy dogs?
As fast as it appeared my guesses are insect bite or injury. Although it is impossible to diagnose any skin lesion without examining it. I would recommend watching it for changes and if it is not looking better by Friday have your vet look at it.
Good Luck
Thank you. It is almost gone this morning, so I guess it was just a bite or scratch of some sort. I’m still watching it and will bring him in if it changes again.