Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
My husband and I run our own company, so can bring our puppy into the office with us every day. We can’t have the time off work to stay with him at home, while he adapts to his new surroundings, so planned on bringing him to the office with us each day, where we would of course give him lots of exercise and love and can potty train him in the grounds of our office. We thought this would also be good for socialisation. But we wondered whether this would be too stressful for him to spend one weekend with us at home, and then start coming to the office with us on the Monday? I know his paws won’t be able to touch the floor of public places until he’s had all his injections at around 12 weeks, so we thought we could take him in a puppy sling and have a crate at work he can occasionally use, as well as his toys, food, drink, treats etc. Any advice or tips would be gratefully received. I have ordered lots of books on it and we’ll be signing him up to dog school as well. Thank you x
We have had our female Shitz Tuz Mandie for 3 years, she was a rescue dog from a nasty place. She came to us scared of people, it took us a full year to gain her trust, and she can still be skiddish around others. The 1st yr we had her we noticed what looked to be a bug bite, a few days later we had a home visit from a local vet who checked her out, gave her shots etc. We pointed out the bite which had by that time turned into what looked like a boil, which had popped earlier that day. The vet said it was due to fleas, and gave her drops, which we keep current. Ever since that bite she has been chewing herself raw on that spot. We couldn’t find anything there, no bumps or marks that would cause it to bother her. We did notice that her skin in that spot discolored a little. We thought it could be from her licking and chewing. A few months went by and she continued to chew, we switched her shampoo to low sud/oatmeal soap, and switched up her diet to Nutro dry food, no chicken or corn. and that hasn’t helped. Its gotten to the point where she doesn’t want to play, and she sleeps more, may be because she sit up at night after we are sleeping chewing. Her skin is now bright pink all over and her chewing has now moved to any spot she can reach. Any ideas on what is causing this? And, what I should do. Our vet’s here are extremely high dollar vet’s and we just can’t afford a $1,000 vet bill. Please help I feel so bad for this little girl.
Thank you
Lori G
Hi Krista, Thanks for your advice, we figured as much. I guess we all have to pitch in on this one and get our baby healthy again. And being so hot right now I’m sure isn’t making her feel any better either. I’ll give her a nice cool bath tonight and take her in first thing tomorrow.
Again thanks for responding so fast. We all need more vets like you!
First get all grain out of her diet, including treats. Go to a good pet store (not the grocery store, or big box) and ask to be shown to the grain-free dog food and start reading lables. Pick a grain free dog food that has real meat as the first 2 , or even better 3 ingredients. Real meat is easy to spot it says lamb, elk, bison, turkey, salmon meal or whitefish meal (meal is the entire animal ground up and dried). Do not buy any food with by products listed in the ingredients – this is and indication of inferior goods. The worst grains for dogs are: wheat, corn, corn gluten, rice, soy, oats. Many dogs do alright with buckwheat since it is not a grain.
Dogs may not be allergic to grain, but it impacts their ability to fight other allergens. Most dogs do much better when grain is removed from their diet.
Next, stop washing your dog (they only need a bath if they have rolled in something!) and just rinse her instead with a mix of 1/3 vinegar (cider vinegar is her coat is colored, white vinegar if her coat is mostly white) and 2/3 water. Work this into her coat and skin and allow her to shake and dry. Do not rinse it out. You can rinse her with this every day, and if you have her coat cut very short, you can do it 2 times per day. Just be sure she dries out between applications, you don’t want her staying damp since that will lead to other problems. The vinegar smell will disappear as she dries. I recommend you do keep her coat short for the time being – it will help you keep allergens out of her coat. Brush her daily. You can keep her tail hair long since that is one of the best features of this breed!
Keep a bowl of this mix beside the door (make it fresh every day) and rinse her paws in it when she comes in from outside – this will help reduce the amount of allergen she tracks into the house.
Cover every place she sleeps or naps with towels or sheets and toss those covers in the wash once a week. This helps remove the pollen and mold spores that may be making her itch. Wash her dog bed weekly too if she has one. Vacuum the house daily with a HEPA filter in the vacuum.
If she has any raw or ‘hot spots’ dab on witch hazel with aloe vera – you will find this in any pharmacy.
If your vet told you to use Benadryl, switch to Zyrtec instead – it seems to work better. Same dosage, and generic is fine.
I agree with Dr. Krista’s advice to get the help of a vet – but after 22 years of dealing with itchy terriers I know that I have to take these other steps along with what the vet recommends.
I think you need a vet as this dog has been suffering long enough. You have tried hard to treat it at home and unfortunately it hasn’t worked. The next step is a vet and preferably not the same vet that saw her the first time. It would be no wear near $1000. Probably less than $200 including the meds. You did a great thing by rescuing this dog and to continue being a great pet parent it takes sacrifice and some occasional money with a vet. Where I live a vet consultation is a mere $39. At that point they will tell you what needs to be done. You will be feel so much better once you help this poor dog.
I just got a new 9 week old kitten. I got him the night before last. The Kitten is perfectly healthy in every way but one. It is eating solid and canned food. Canned food once a day and dry food through the day. He is drinking water. He is playful and active. Has urinated about 4 times. His belly is not hard. And he is sleeping well.
BUT he has not pooped yet.
The old owners said he pooped the morning of the day I picked him up. But that was Thursday and this is Saturday. I am worried. I wonder if it may be the stress of a new home, no mother or litter mates and two new cats. The one cage of mine has not taken to the kitten yet but the other is coming around.
I do have a vet appointment booked but I have anxiety and I worry.
cat not cage*
I have a 1 1/2 year old male cat. As a kitten he was given all of his injections, was neutered and chipped. After then he was allowed to go outside for several hours at a time. we use a flea repellent drop on him monthly and he is wormed every 3 months in accordance with the packet directions. He enjoys being outside and always stays close to home, returning when shouted in. My partner is concerned that allowing him to go outside is significantly reducing his life span and is bad for his health, but he enjoys being allowed outside. Would you advise that it would be better for the cat to be kept indoors rather than allowed out during the daytime?
Outdoor cats have shorter lifespans than indoor cats. You cannot guarantee he is safe from accident and injury, and he may very well pick up worms, other parasites, and disease.
It doesn’t really affect it much, it can knock of 1-2 years of a cats like though. I just think it’s dangerous for them to be out because of other hazards such as, cars, other people, and other cats, even some toxic plants, but if it’s a backyard I think that it’s perfectly safe, but honestly it all comes down to opinion.
Cats never just stay in a backyard.
Kim, please put a bio in your profile. This is a requirement.
I’ve just got home to find my mum has bathed my cats wound with diluted dettol. After reading everything online, what should I do???
I didn’t read too far into it, but it sounds like it’s toxic if ingested. I would thoroughly wash the wound again and put a cone on your cat to prevent it from licking the wound.
Thank you! I’ve throughly washed him, although he hates me now. And making sure he’s drinking plenty. Still being his annoying self, so I think he’s ok!
Hello,
My cat came home limping. Only one of her back legs is affected. She is in pain, however, her leg looks normal and she is otherwise healthy. There is no swelling that I can see. Could it be a sprain or muscle injury?
Thank you for responding so quickly. She is resting in our garage right now
Update: Rugrat is climbing our garage attic stairs. She can put weight on her leg but you can tell she’s in pain. Other than that she is eating, drinking and using her litter box as usual.
My cats ALWAYS do a little something to there selfs , an when they were smaller , they would climb on things an jump off an limp for a day or two an then be fine . i took him to the vet after the first time an they told me it was a sprain an another time it happened to my other cat there was nothing wrong with him , he was just limping lol so sometimes unless you see a wound or they look badly in pain i honestly wouldn’t worry too much unless they persist to stay off the leg longer than 24/48 hours
A neighbor has a door dasher that seems to get out *frequently* despite her owners’ best efforts to keep her indoors. Does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent this behavior?
I do not have any further information, but my suggestions included diffusers with citrus scents near entry points, crating in a large dog crate, and keeping the cat confined to a room with a closing door when people enter/exit the home. Is there anything else you can think of?
Hello, I would just make sure the door is closed and LOCKED. I don’t know any other suggestions for you, other than just “hissing” her away from the door. This means to make a noise much like a hiss noise. Good luck!
Thank you!
It appears the cat in question door dashes when it’s opened (when people enter/exit the home). We live in a city known for B&E crime, and I know these folks keep the door closed/locked.
I’ll mention the hissing but I can confirm that this won’t work for a determined feline. Hopefully theirs is more sensitive than my brat. 🙂
I dig. Passing this along, thanks.
My brother just returned from his mission a few days ago. While he was gone we adopted a border collie mix puppy, she’s now around a year and a half years old.
She has interacted with people at the park and gets along with most family members when visiting at their place. This her first time having a someone she doesn’t know at home like this, usually have her away from visitors.
She is not getting a long with my brother, she’s constantly barking at him. When he offers one of her favorite treats she tries to hide behind someone she trusts or she runs down and hides in the basement. My brother is getting really frustrated with her.
Expecting that this is going to take a while. Hoping that she gets used to him/desensitized to him over the next few weeks. Any advice would be appreciated.
In what way is she not getting along with him? My first thought is that he calmly go about his business and not attempt to interact with her. Let the dog approach your brother for interaction. Is he wearing a ball cap, something that she’s not used to? Everyone needs to be calm and act normally.
Hello, this is perfectly normal. Dogs adapt, and it may take time. Good luck!
Thanks!
She has been getting better. She isn’t barking as much, but tends to avoid him whenever she can now. Want her to get used to being around him, but don’t want to force it. Now she usually hides downstairs or in one of the bedrooms. Gets really nervous and wants to be close to someone she knows when he is around.
She does bark and get snappy when he’s interacting with one of us, she thinks she is protecting us from him?
Slow going, but are improvements.
I have an American Bulldog who is almost 2 years old. Despite training, he is very aggressive towards other dogs. He was attacked by a pit bull, on our property, before he was a year old and every since will not tolerate any other dogs or any kind of animals for that matter. We have paid quite a bit for training to try and help him socialize but after a while he is back to his old self. No one will board him and we can’t take him anywhere that has a lot of people or other animals. He’s great at home and wonderful with our children, so I am at a loss s to what to do. He also has pretty bad hip problems and is in pain a lot if he gets a lot of exercise. I love him so much, as does my family, but I want to do the right, humane thing. Help.
Hello, as an extreme animal lover, I say no, try to train and comfort as much as you can, but I don’t know you and I can’t tell you what to do. That’s the last case scenario. Good luck!
Hi Krista, I totally agree.
We have done two extensive training courses for his aggression . One two week program and one five week, away from home program.
My dog started off with puking and not eating then she had diarrhea with some blood, we took her to the vet they wanted to keep her so we had her there for three days being that it was 4th of july weekend it was really expensive. They put her on antibiotics and fluids and when we picked her up we paid for antibiotics that we could bring home along with nausea medicine. She is home now and still very sick. She does not have parvo, I dont know what to do.
How can I tell my dog is getting better, or any signs or recovering.
Hello,
sorry to hear you dog is so sick. What did your vet say was wrong with her? I would call the vet back and explain that she is not getting better and ask them. You’ve already paid for your bill there, so give a call back and explain that she is still sick. If they cannot help, find a new vet. If you cannot afford it, reach out to local rescue organizations and ask if they have any programs that can help with assistance. Ask you vet if they have Care Credit (apply for it , ask you vet how). Ask your vet if they can take payments or if you can work off or volunteer with them to help pay for the care. .Good luck!
~kelly
Here’s my take on it.
Puppies need to walk, to be able to explore their environment. The best way to do this is tethered to you, rather than in a sling of some sort. Does your company frequently see dogs on the floors? If not, I don’t see why he can’t be on the floor.
Use the crate more than occasionally. If you cannot have him tethered to you, he should be crated. I would also consider picking up an xpen so he has a safe space to play outside of the crate from time to time.
Frankly, I like the idea of taking him in to work right away, especially if you’ll continue doing that when he’s an adult. If you don’t intend to continue taking him in when he’s an adult, I don’t think I’d do what you’re planning, simply because he’ll wonder why you’re suddenly leaving him home when he’s older.
Thanks so much, Laura.
The sling would just be to carry him to the office, as he could get tired walking there and I thought he might not be allowed to touch pavements etc, until he’s had all injections.
It’s a short walk and then a short train to our office, so we thought he might be happiest in a puppy sling for the journey there.
Once we’re inside the building and in our office yard, we would definitely have him on the floor.
So you think we should have him, perhaps on a leash attached to the arm of my office chair, with occasional time in his crate?
We plan on always having him with us in the office and taking him back home with us, into his adulthood.
Thanks again x
Oh, definitely NO walking on pavement frequented by dogs during the commute, at least until he’s 4 months old. Good luck. 😉
I think this could work! I also think you’ll have growing pains for a bit. Will you be able to hop up and take him out immediately after waking up, immediately before and after all meals (and he should be eating a lunch until he’s 6 months old), before/during/after all play, and every 30 minutes otherwise? I know that for the first week we had our bitch puppy home, that was life…I wasn’t productive at all. This is why utilizing the crate is so important. You can pop him in there for a 2 hour nap and get some work done while he’s sleeping.
Ah brilliant. Thank you. Sounds like we’ll have our work cut out. Is it best to exercise him indoors then, until he’s 4 months? We have a big garden at home he could run around in, on a leash, but we often get foxes, so I guess they’d be more diseased than other dogs. So much to learn! x
Well, when he’s out in the yard, so are you…and I’m not a fan of long walks for long-legged breeds like boxers. I think your garden should be fine. Get him vaccinated against rabies when the vet says it’s time.
Is this your first dog? You picked a particularly high energy breed!