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My 3 year old toy poodle, bailey, is currently having behaviour issues. He is well trained and we have even had a trainer not too long ago but despite all of this he is continuously going through phases a misbehaving/reactivity. These phases started to occurred since he was about 1. During a phase he typically gets very possessive aggressive, temperamental, reactive and starts to ignore all of his commands! Does anyone have any tips to help or stop these phases all together?
Hello,
We are a group of individuals that help the street dogs in Turkey. We have a recent case of a baby girl that is below the age of 2 and has heartworm disease. She and a bunch of others were locked up into an abandoned shelter with no food and no clean water (there was water with only blood hence, bacteria and the disease). The medication advised to us by the vet (immiticide) does not exist in Turkey therefore, the baby girl cannot get the treatment. Is there a way you could help us out with this issue we are having?
We would be truly grateful.
The vet is ready to show videos, send necessary documentation and prescription etc.
Thank you in advance.
Hello,
Thank you for all you do. The American Heartworm Association has lots of information available on their site. Please go there. Also look into Advantage multi and doxycycline. They have some promise in treating if you don’t have access to duroban. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your quick and genuine response. We will definitely look into everything you mentioned!
We wish you a great day!
My dog was recently given the prognosis of intervertebral disc disease or herniated disc. His hind legs currently are not working and are possibly paralyzed but he still has feeling in them. The surgery for him to get better is something that we can not afford and our not sure what to do. Is there any way for him to walk again without the surgery? Is there any other treatments we can try?
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your pup. Some dogs can recover from this even if they don’t have the decompression surgery. It takes time, a lot of intensive at home care and assistance and patience. I have a lot of information on conservative management on my blog and YouTube channel. Please search my name and IVDD on both sites and you can see a patient named Hank who recovered without surgery. It took him almost three weeks to be able to walk again. It is absolutely imperative to have access to pain medications, and the time to invest in their care. It is also very important to have a vet who will help you. Good luck.
Hello,
I watched your videos and they were very helpful! I just have a couple more questions though. What type of therapy/rehab did u start hank with? Will starting therapy too early hurt the process? Do you think acupuncture is a good idea?
My 11 year old cat has a lump on her hind leg which I believe was caused by a knock to the area after being chased by a neighbours dog that entered my garden, causing my cat to run under the house, I heard the scuffle & not long after she developed this lump, which my vet diagnosed as a seroma, they took a biopsy which was inconclusive. The assesment states Distal left hindlimb mass 1.5 cm tumour (bening or neoplastic) with enlargement due to seroma. She shows no signs of pain in area only when touched, walks fine and is acting perfectly normal. Vet recommended surgical removal costing $1800 .Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I include an image of actual lump
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m not sure what your question is but if it’s not bothering your cat why don’t you just give it some time to see if it resolves on its own?
Good morning- many seromas are absorbed back into the body over time. So long as your cat is not in pain, and your vet doesn’t feel as if it is something more than a seroma, I would see if it fixes itself.
My boy cat became unwell and didn’t eat or drink. His ears are always an issue so wondered if it was this, we also noticed he was guarding his back legs and was hesitant to sit just before all this. They did bloods and checked his ears, the diagnosis was firstly they noticed his teeth were bad and his ears were not great so we were scheduled in for dental work three days later he got steadily worse and I was petrified he was going to die, so I took him in on the Thursday ( day before surgery was to happen) and I said I thought he was dehydrated. So they checked him over ( were not allowed in due to coronavirus so I’ve not seen anything they’ve done) they initially they said he could come home and they’d see him for dental work day after, next call was he needs to stay to be on fluids overnight. That they would do the surgery the next day and call after to let me know how he went on. I insisted they call me to let me know how he was before he went under. He was “ fine and coming to the cage front for head rubs” they did the dental surgery at 4pm ish and called to say come get him. He was very groggy and wobbly on his legs, we put this down to the drugs. He gradually got les mobile on his hind legs and is now totally paralysed and drags his legs along ( he still moves at speed though.) we took him back and a different vet said “ you just have to make your home safe for him this is how he is now, it’s that or put him down” no explanation why he’s suddenly like this, no care or give a damn!!
So he’s now not pooping and is just peeing constantly. I took him today for his post op follow up dental check And said I thought his bladder was full and he wasn’t pooping he said they took a pee sample and gave me laxatives ( lactulose) £30 and told me to watch YouTube to learn how to express his bladder!! I’m in bits and I’m so scared I am going to lose him. He’s my baby and he’s such a sweet boy I want to do what’s best for him. Please help I am just in a daze and feel so let down!
Hello,
Is there a veterinary college near you? If possible can you go there? Or a feline specialist. I think you need to find someone reputable and credible to help understand what is going on? I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty.
I’m not sure there is. ????????
That is terrible- I am so sorry. I think I would find another vet immediately. Explain everything that has happened.
My groomer told me Holly has a fungal infection on her pads and to use Apple Cider Vinegar which I did. Poor Holly nearly went crazy, I believe it stung her. Any suggestions please? Also Holly has lots of lumps everywhere which my vet says are harmless. however she has licked those on her toes and they are now raw and bleeding, suggestions please for a treatment.
Hello,
Your groomer shouldn’t be diagnosing your pup. Please go to your vet for that and the treatment plan. We cannot, not should anyone other than your vet diagnose a health issue or recommend a treatment plan.
I think I would check with the vet before starting anything. I am quite sure it is advice given with good intentions, but it would be smart to make sure that your vet is aware that there is an issue. They can prescribe something to help.
My 2 year old dog has lost 5 whiskers this month is it normal? He is eating fine and drinking fine.
Hello,
Is there a way you can ask your vet to check the skin and make sure this isn’t a health issue? I would start there.
Hi Madison – you asked this question a week ago, and Dr. M suggested calling the vet. Have you done that yet?
My dog ran out of my house and got bitten by dogs and returned back . The right front leg has some bite marks and that’s all. It’s day two and he is yelling in pain. In day 1 , he used to walk with 3 legs. But in day 2, he is struggling to walk at all. He got pain in the other 3 legs too. I think rabies is not the issue as it shows symptoms only after a week.
Please see a vet as quickly as possible for treatment.
A dog bite is always an emergency. Even if it looks small- chances are it is much worse and the chance for infection is very high. Please get to a vet if you haven’t already. I hope things are ok!
My dog is doing good now. He can now run with 3 legs. I haven’t seen any rabies dogs in my street. Can I consult a vetenerian after a week or a month? Because vets are hard to find in this quarantine.
No, this needs to be handled immediately due to the risk of infection. If untreated, infection can and will kill your dog.
Hi Dr. Krista,
My name is Yana and I have beagle mix Charlie who injured his neck on 07/08/20 last week. We took him 10 flights of stairs for exercise and 30 min later he started crying in the dog park then yelping in the car and screaming at night. We took him to the ER and he was diagnosed with neck disc injury and prescribed Methocarbamol, Gabapentin, Tramadol and Caprofen. He seemed to be fine, not paralyzed but screaming 1-2 times a day usually on potty brakes. Then he started having episodes when he became more stiff and lifted his front paws…usually in the morning after sleep. We took him to a neurologist on 07/13/20 but he said he is 1 from 6 and not that bad. He stopped Caprofen and prescribed Prednisone, Fentanyl Patch and Acepromazine with other medications from the ER. So we were spacing out medications because we were afraid to give too much. He did not seem to be improving and we started all meds. He seems better after he screams like pressure relieved and he can lift his head and move more free.
Long story short, we placed him in a boarding hospital due to us living in a studio in highrise on the 10th floor, working from home and being 7 month pregnant. We are planning to visit another neurologist on monday and hopefully get x rays or mri.
Questions:
In your video with Hank he was paralysed and recovered in 17 days. So far I don’t see much positive progress in our dog and he is not paralized. How much chance do we have or what we should do moving forward?
October 2019 he had a similar episod and I took him to the vet, no x-rays were performed. Two reasons indicated neck or teeth. More towards teeth inflammation which I was focusing on by brushing and adding supplements. Medications prescribed Cephalexin and Carprofen. He got better in 3 days but his screams were not that severe. Should we try Cephalexin?
Any help, suggestion on advice will be highly appreciated! If we can bring him to your facility for boarding and recovery at least till he doesn’t have those screams we would like to do that! Please let us know how much it costs since it adds up quickly and I know that surgery is very expensive.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your dog. I’m also sorry but I don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on now or what you are worried about.
I cannot order advice on which medications to use as I don’t know him or his condition.
I have lots of videos on YouTube and lots of advice on my blog. Maybe they can help?
My 1 year old cavapoo was spayed 3 months ago and had to have her incision re-done 2 weeks ago after not healing properly the first time (vet said she was allergic to the sutures) it looks to me like the incision is doing the same thing this time! What do I do??? Take her to a different vet for a second opinion??? Treat at home with triple antibiotic ointment and crate her for a week??? First pic is before her second surgery the crusty scabby one is today (stitches and staples) out yesterday
It wont let me upload pics, but to me the first time it looked like a hernia and now it looks like a sore (what the other one looked like at first)
Good morning- First thing I would do is phone the vet this morning. Tell them that you want to be seen ASAP so that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Having said that- if you are not comfortable with your vet, I would advise a second opinion from a different practice. Perhaps a few phone calls to friends for a recommendation and then call for an appointment. Best of luck. Please keep us posted.
Good morning. One of our shepherds used to get this way from time to time. It turns out that even though we are consistent, with him we had to be extremely diligent and consistent. Any change in routine would set him a little off. So for us it was a long road of patience and repetition. And walks. A LOT of walks. Going for a leashes walk where you are in charge is like a reset button in my humble opinion. It reminds them that you are higher in the pack order. The key is to catch the unwanted behavior right as or right before it starts-easier said than done. This helps you figure out the trigger and then in turn you can start to desensitize them to it. It is definitely a process of rewarding wanted behaviors and ignoring and redirecting where bad behaviors are concerned. Definitely a full time job, but it can be done. You may want to look into a certified dog behaviorist rather than a trainer. They can help you get started and would really be worth the money. Very best of luck.
Hiya, thanks for getting back to me! I have started to get a really good routine since I got back to work. He has also started to only be allowed on the lead as I’m starting to see a more reactive/aggressive side to him and he is usually at heel to walk until I let him sniff about. I have been referred to behaviourist from the vets but I have to wait til I get my own house due to my living situation the now, unfortunately.
In the short term, look into Nothing In Life is Free (NILF). I agree with Sarah, there’s likely something setting this off. Try to keep logs of what happens to cause these relapses, so you can figure out how to avoid them in the future.
I’d also love to know more:
-Do you have any other animals in the house? How about children?
-Is he intact?
-What sort of training do you do on a regular basis, beyond basic commands?
-What sort of grooming routine do you have with him?
-When was his last bloodwork done, and when you had it done, was a thyroid panel part of it? Have you ever brought this up with the vet? Have you ever checked him over to see if anything hurts? Bad behavior can also come from physical discomfort, eye issues, coat issues, teeth issues, osteo issues from long nails, ear infections, etc. Is this the same dog with chronic pancreatitis? I’d bet that’s playing into it, too – sick dogs don’t always behave well.
-Did you get him from a breeder or a rescue? If the former, have you talked to the breeder about this? They might have insight for you.
Hiya, thanks for getting back to me! I’m going to get that sorted tonight as I’ve just had a look into it and it seems to be really good. I have to keep a log of his food he eats, how much and if he’s had a good or bad day with his pancreatitis, I have noticed with that log that he acts out when he’s having good periods with his pancreatitis. I have a guinea pig but he seems to have a very good bond with him, he also has daily contact with dogs as family members own dogs and I work in a groomers(he comes to work with me). I currently live with my parents and their children have no respect for him, so I can’t do any crate training or that. I constantly having to tell the kids off but because my parents don’t it makes no difference, I am hopefully moving out in the next month at the latest! With his training we do tricks, obedience, some agility, off lead training( he is not getting to that the now due to his relative/aggressive tendancies currently) and grooming training. I am currently doing retraining by basically go over every command he knows for at least 2 days each but building it up for him. He had blood work at the end of last year but I have found that he behaves badly when he’s feeling better. I did speak to the breeder but she didn’t really have anything to help my out and I know a good few dogs she has bred from the same mum and dad just different litters and they are all fine.
What’s your normal training routine? And you’ve gotta advocate for your dog – he’s very small, children are usually larger than toy poodles and often don’t respect their space. Eventually chances are he’ll bite one of the kids if they aren’t respecting his space.
This might mean separating him from the kids. It might mean crating when you can’t be there to supervise 100% of the time.
Well he’s never in the house now when I’m not there and if he can’t come with me I get other family to watch him. We usually do 2 sessions morning and night, for about 10mins. He unfortunately had a seizure today when we were out so I think his behaviours more than just acting up. He will have a vets emergency appointment tomorrow morning so I will hopefully know more then.
Oof, yeah. That may explain quite a bit. Is this is first ever seizure? I hope you get some answers.
Yes, me too but I’ll let you know what they say tomorrow!
Definitely let us know. I’ll keep you guys in my thoughts.
At the vets today they took blood but all his vitals were fine and the only thing wrong with him physically was he was a bit sore on his spine, which we believe that’s due to hurting himself during the seizure. If the blood tests don’t come back with anything he will go and get a head scan.
Did they do a full thyroid panel?
Hiya, his blood results came back clean but I’m going to need to look into something else to do more tests as since he had the seizure his behaviour has became more aggressive rather that reactive.