Okay, thank you. My mom is taking her in tomorrow morning. I will let you know what they say.
P.S. My mom thinks its a tumor in her abdomen… 🙁
I’ve been crate training my new dog, she’s a year old, and she’s been doing well. I took the crate apart to clean it and as soon as her blanket was put in it she got in and went to sleep. I had to put it together around her. My question is a matter of consistency. My schedule is pretty consistent as a student, but I have a lab once a week right in the middle of the day. Should I only crate her when I’m gone for those two hours or should I do it every day at that time?
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The vomit is usually a yellowish colour but a few days ago it had black in it… She has stopped eating, but recently my mom bought canned dog food and she will eat that. She doesn’t bark anymore when we come home and doesn’t even lift her head to my parents. We did, recently get a new puppy. She is obviously jealous and I give her all the attention I can. But she seems sick, not just sad or depressed.. Please, help.
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My Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (giant breed) has been having recurrent UTIs. She went to a new vet today for an ultrasound of her bladder to check for stones. She was supposed to be at the vet’s all morning, but due to unexpected developments, they were able to get her in right away. The vet called me and mentioned that they’d found nothing on the ultrasound, but she wanted to do a digital vaginal exam to check for abnormalities in the vagina. I said “yes” but had second thoughts right after hanging up – the vet was a new person to my dog, after all, which might make a necessary but invasive procedure scarier. I called back to ask them to wait so I could at least be there for reassurance, but the line was busy, and by the time I got through, the exam had been done.
My dog seemed just fine when I picked her up, and we all know that dogs are not the most particular about their hindquarters, as sniffing attests, but this was a bit more invasive than sniffing, so I have to ask: how much discomfort (in all senses) do dogs feel during a vaginal exam? I know it’s difficult to ascertain, but – well, I gotta ask.
I have a female beagle and she is around 6-8 years old. She’s always been a hyper dog, loves to jump up and down the couch/bed for a good snuggle, loves people and would jump on them and during meal time, she would be excited and beg for food. On Thursday evening & Friday all day (today is Saturday at 11am), we noticed something weird/strange going on with her and she’s been acting really weird. Her walks have been slowed (especially up and down the stairs) and she cannot jump up on the bed/couch (she can still jump down). She is eating (I gave her a little piece of chicken on my pizza) and she is peeing but not pooping, and my mom said her tummy is very hard and one of her front leg is acting up… We made an appointment with the vet but it isn’t until next week and right now we are trying to rule out a lot of things like constipation…. We just didn’t want to take her to the emergency because last time something like this happened, we freaked out and took her there, it turns out it was only constipation and we were charged over 500 dollars and as it just being after Christmas and a new semester, we really don’t have the money to take her to the vet unless it’s an actual emergency…
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Yuan Zuo Thank you very much for your feedback! I will re-make an appointment tonight and hopefully get an Monday appointment. I’ve also bought some pumpkin stuff for her (many people online say that it helps with constipation) and if she doesn’t get better by then, then off to the doctors we go on Monday!
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Matthew Kelcourse Hello Yuan.
In addition to Dr M’s response, I can only add you are describing classic symptoms for the early stages of IVDD (of which beagles are a susceptible breed). Up and down stairs, not jumping, etc… are self-evident; but urinating while not defecating is a classic symptom because it requires arching the back/neck and “pushing/straining” – something a lot more painful than urinating when IVDD is causing back pain.
Since IVDD requires immediate medical attention, I recommend a veterinary visit ASAP. Great if IVDD is ruled out, but any delay could make treatment more difficult.
Good luck,
Dr K
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Yuan Zuo Hey guys, thank you both so much for the feedback. I can proudly say that Abby is getting a lot better as we speak! Abby does have a history of constipation and without even knowing it, she’s been constipated for over a week now, that’s being taken care of with some pumpkin & lots of tummy rubs and walks! Her leg was also hurt earlier in the week because my dad had taken her to a field where she could run but as it being Winter with lots of snow, sometimes the ground is steep without even realizing it and she must have walked twisted her left front leg, and with her belly already in pain and her front leg hurt, she was having a lot of troubles being herself. But she will get better soon! I really appreciate all of the support and medical advice I have received.
As she is getting older, we will definitely be more careful and cautious with her health!
We live next door to another dog and she hasn’t been spayed because we own 2 female indoor dogs and they’re rarely outside unattended. She’s also very lean by nature so it’s possible I wouldn’t have noticed but her nipples are a bit saggy and there’s a hard layer in her stomach I recognize (I’ve helped other people’s dogs have puppies) but she also just came out of her heat cycle and I know it’s a possibility. But where we live, we will be kicked out immediately if we have our 2 dogs and a litter of puppies and I don’t want to lose my dog but I know she can’t be separated from the puppies and I have no idea what to do. There is no one who would take her in the meantime, as I live away from my family and just moved to a new area. I have no idea what to do.
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Anonymous you can get an emergency spay done.
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Ryahhna McDowell Where do you live? Try contacting local rescues to take her and the puppies in until they are weaned. If you do that type up a contract, have it notarized, and have the rescue owners sign it. The contract should state that as soon as the pups are weaned your dog will be released back into your care.
We have 2 male and neutered cats, and one female spayed dog. One of the cats (we aren’t 100% certain which, but are setting up video cameras to determine which) is peeing on the dog beds. It started a year ago and would happen for a couple of weeks, then stop for a few months, start over again, repeat repeat. It happens mostly on the dog’s various beds, but has also happened on plastic shopping bags full of clothes. Comfy, soft things.
We took both cats to the vet when it first started and they didn’t find anything wrong… Just a few tiny crystals that most likely formed because they had to wait 2 days between the samples being taken and being tested, so all three of the vets said they were normal. We are taking them both to the vet again next week to do more testing (or just these guilty one, once we discover which one is doing it).
We have multiple CLEAN litter boxes, both open and closed top. One is even self cleaning after use, and my husband empties the others very frequently and cleans/washes them evey week. They have various bathroom and liter options, so I’m sure that’s not the problem.
We have tried cleaning the dog beds with all the appropriate cat urine cleaning solutions, but the second time we threw them all out and bought new ones. We did that the third time too. Now our poor dog has no beds until we solve the problem.
The dog is not a fan of the cats. She growls at them a lot, and is very protective of her food, “spaces,” toys, and bed. The cats don’t seem to mind at all, and act as though she’s not there, although I know sometimes cats don’t show when they are stressed. We know this is an issue, but she has been this way her while life. We not getting rid of the dog to solve the problem, not an option.
We of course will do all the tests at the vet (and do any surgery, take any medicine, or perform any procedure he needs), but we are worried that the poor cat is doing this due to a behavioral or dominance problem. If this is the case, does anyone have any recommendations about how to change his behavior? We will not be putting him in a shelter, we will not be re-homing him (unless we discover that he needs to be in a single pet home, in which case I will be heart broken but we will find him the perfect family), and no way in hell will we be putting him down. We will keep him even if he pees on my favorite rug or couch or carpet every 2 days. But I would obviously prefer if that weren’t the case… We have a baby coming in 6 months and I am hoping we have the issue mostly dealt with by then (although I realize long term behavior may take longer than that to change completely). Please help if you can. I feel like I am losing my very hormonal mind.
My almost 5 year old Chihuahua/dachshund mix bit my 8 month old daughter in the face a few days ago. He is currently “quarantined” at home for 10 days. He is a normally good dog. He has always been very protective, hyper and a bit jumpy of new people. He has growled at people before but never attacked. My 8 month old daughter and the dog have never had a problem, but this day they were sitting next to each other and she was petting him, and then she grabbed his tail and he turned around and bit her in the face. I can no longer feel comfortable with the dog in the house around her. I do not want to put the dog to sleep as I feel this was a pretty isolated incident but she is too young to learn from her mistake so I feel it is very necessary to find him a new place to live. I am weary of trying to find him a new home in the chance he bites again, and I do not want to have that guilt over my head. Also, he is showing no signs of rabies but he has become more anxiety ridden since the attack/barking at all noises/people outside (with being quarantined though, I believe he is feeling depressed and scared). *Side note – I have a 9 year old son as well, who has been with the dog since a puppy (and my son was 4) and they have never really had any issues. The dog would get upset sometimes but he has never bitten my son. *Another side note – we recently moved (About 3 weeks ago) into a new home, and he has shown more anxiety/jumpiness since the move. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I do care about my dog a lot and want him to have a good life as he is not that old yet.
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Anonymous ANY sudden behavior changes should be met with a vet visit first to rule out any medical problems. please, take your dog to the vet and get him checked out. i’d also talk to a veterinary behaviorist about this situation.
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PK Dennis DO NOT TAKE HIM TO A SHELTER! Doing so will condemn him to death. Even shelters that say they are no-kill often turn over dogs that have bitten to other organizations that then put the dog down. This allows the first place to keep their “no kill” label, but does not save the dog. These are highly strung dogs. You have made a lot of changes in his life, adding stress upon stress. I am not surprised that he defended himself in this way. The rule in my house is that NO CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF THREE gets to touch a dog, sit beside a dog, be allowed in a room alone with a dog. And – I do not approve any home with a child under the age of 7 to adopt one of my fosters since I feel 7 is the minimum age of reason in a human child (in other words at that age they can understand to LEAVE THE DOG ALONE).
Any dog that feels endangered will bite.Keep in mind that you will be causing trauma to your older child by giving this dog away. The BEST solution would be to find a trainer that would come to your home to work with you, your family, and the dog. But if you can’t consider that, the next best thing would be to find a Chihuahua rescue. You can find a dedicated Chihuahua Rescue by googling or looking through the AKC website for Chihuahua rescue. You will find there are Chihuahua organizations nationwide that, for the love of the breed, will accept your surrender of this dog and will help him find the perfect forever home.And be sure you don’t compound your mistakes by bringing another dog into your home before your youngest child is seven years old or older — or you will be doing this all over again with another innocent dog. It wasn’t the breed that bit, it was the compilation of mistakes that created the situation and led to the bite. -
Kasia R If you have to remove that sweet dog from your home, call a reputable rescue in your area and try to find a good home for him. Perhaps his tail was pulled harshly and it was just a warning to your child, but I understand she is too small to know better. You can take him to a behaviorist and see what that say but please don’t put a family member in a shelter. Can you imagine what he would feel like after only know your family all these years. Best of luck to you!
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Brittany Irons Thank you for your honest advice.
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Brittany Irons This is one of the hardest situations I have ever had to deal with. He is definitely a family member, and this is why it is very conflicting for me. I have family members telling me to just send him to the humane society but I know what would happen and I cannot do that without feeling extremely guilty. If it was just me I would do anything to help the dog, but my husband does not agree. I am in a very difficult situation and heartbroken. I thank everyone for their honest advice and will take this all to heart and continue to soul search in which road I should take. I do not believe he needs to die in any way shape or form.
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Brittany Irons This is one of the hardest situations I have ever had to deal with. He is definitely a family member, and this is why it is very conflicting for me. I have family members telling me to just send him to the humane society but I know what would happen and I cannot do that without feeling extremely guilty. If it was just me I would do anything to help the dog, but my husband does not agree. I am in a very difficult situation and heartbroken. I thank everyone for their honest advice and will take this all to heart and continue to soul search in which road I should take. I do not believe he needs to die in any way shape or form.
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Anonymous i can’t imagine how difficult this is, but please, do the medical checks to make sure there isn’t something else going on. it’ll make it easier for a rescue to place him, as well.
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PK Dennis The Humane Society should not even be on your radar! It is a sure death sentence for this poor boy. They take in so many dogs each year that they can only save the ones that are most adoptable! And a dog that has bitten is usually considered unadoptable by the HS. Your family members may mean well, but they don’t understand that by giving this boy a home you made a life long commitment to doing what is best for him – not just your human children. The only way to be sure he is not put to death is to keep the dog yourself (and work with a trainer to resolve the issues) or to surrender him to a Chihuahua Rescue. The Chi people understand the personality of this breed and will work to ensure he gets a home that understands how to work with his stress – helping him to be the best dog he can be. It comes down to how much time, energy and effort you want to expend to keep your family (dog and all) together. If you can’t make the time and spend the money for training then you have to find the Chihuahua rescue. Another option may be a ‘small dog’ rescue. There are some that specialize in small, feisty, dogs that have fear aggression issues.
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Brittany Irons Thank you, I will be looking into the Chihuahua rescue to see if they can assist me, I truly appreciate your help and honesty!
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PK Dennis I don’t know where in the US you are located, but doing a quick search I found http://www.Chihuahua-rescue.org that is working out of the midwest. And there is a request form for more information on the Chihuahua Club of America at this link http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/contact-the-cca/contact-breed-rescue that may lead you to a person in your area for rescue.
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julie brader Totally and absolutely agree with P K here. The brutal truth is you allowed this to happen by letting an 8 month old baby pull your dog around, and how many times has she done it before? Look at it from the dogs point of view, if someone was constantly poking you and pulling your hair what would you do?
You would retaliate. Which is just what your dog has done.
This is honestly not your dogs fault. You shut him away now and you are compounding the problem, I’m not surprised hes stressed and barking….dogs pick up on our emotions very well indeed.
Please don’t rehome this dog. Rather be sensible and keep your baby out of his way for both their sakes. Again I agree with PK I would not let a dog go to a home with a child under the age of 7 years when they are old enough to treat a dog with respect. -
ashlyn hag I had a problem like that, sometimes the Humane society won’t take a dog that has bitten before, also you would be killing that dog, also I believe I made the wrong choice by putting my dog down he was still a puppy (9 months old) but he had bitten and had drew blood, and I just didn’t feel safe around him, and like I said we put him down which was the hardest decision of my life, so I don’t want you to make a decision like me, be good and caring person and do not let that dog go, like you aid you had recently just moved and some dogs aren’t good with stress, and when you moved you cause your dog stress, don’t make the same ,mistake that I did and keep that dog, other wise whreveer you take him he will probably just die anyways, because not most dogs find good forever homes and live happily ever after your dog could likely get beaten or killed by others, so NO MATTER WHAT KEEP THE DOG.
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PK Dennis Hey Brittany,
I just came across an article in The Whole Dog Journal about getting your dog ready to deal with a baby – this article mentions a company Family Paws Parent Education in Cary, NC which has a program, “Dogs and Toddlers” which is available to families through a worldwide network of more than 200 licensed presenters. Jennifer Shryock developed this program in response to a huge number of families that wanted to surrender a dog after an incident (bite) had already occurred with a child in the home. This program takes an in-depth look at helping the family dog successfully live with kids (and since he has been living with the 2 boys successfully I don’t think you have a big leap to hurdle!).
I can’t encourage you enough to give a trainer a try – they can help you design a training plan to keep everyone safe, while minimizing the dog’s anxiety.
One of the techniques recommended in the article is to teach your dog to be calm and happy in a room that is gated away from where the baby has access. This works best if it is a room where the dog can see your family. For example gate the kitchen so the dog can be in there with you while you cook and he can peek out and see the living room or family room. Since it is dangerous for babies to be in the kitchen anyway (hot food or knives falling, reaching for pot handles…!) it makes sense to let the dog be in there, but not the baby. The older boy can let himself through the baby gate to interact with the dog but the younger children are kept safely away in an area where they can be overseen but not touching the dog.
Ways to keep the dog happy in this space is to interact with him there, and when you are not interacting give him toys and chews to work on. A Kong stuffed full of goodness and then frozen will keep him content for hours. A trainer can help you with this!
I am just so worried for this sweet little guy! My best wish for him is that he stay in the home he has known his whole life, with the people he loves. But if that is out of the question I wish I could come scoop him up!
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PK Dennis Great chart and videos about dogs and toddler supervision: http://familypaws.com/fpaw/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/5-types-Supervision-HR1.pdf
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Brittany Irons Thank you again for this information! I am full-heartedly trying to convince my husband that we can help our dog and keep him at the same time. He has had no prior aggressive behavior towards anyone in the family or anyone I bring into the home (the only aggression he has ever showed is to strangers when he is outside in the fenced yard – but I just think this is because he is very protective of his territory)…. I really do appreciate your opinions, help AND suggestions (rather than just being told I am at fault for everything).
How long should it take for my dogs to get used to a new dog after I introduced them to each other?
What’s the best way to do a adding a new dog introduction
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julie brader More information?
What dog do you have now, breed and male or female? and what dog are you introducing …again breed..male or female?
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Anonymous also what ages are both dogs?
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Eddie Eidinger I have a 6 year Pitt bull female and add a 2 year Pitt bull female
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Lisa Pfab Since you have multiple dogs it may be easier, because they are used to other dogs. Do it in a fenced area, I would say outside, with plenty of room. Is the new dog a puppy? That will really change things. Most adult dogs realize a puppy is a puppy and not a threat to the pack dominance order, but that it will grow up in the pack and will fall into the pack order naturally. A full grown dog is a different story. Which ever of your dogs is the dominant one will feel a threat, so you need to let them be introduced I think one at a time, with the dominant one going first. Let them smell each others butts, its what they do. I would have the new dog on a leash, and if your current dog is trust worthy and listens very well, let that dog be off leash, only in an enclosed area. Do not do it in a crowded space, as they will feel confined and that will not help.
I am by far not an expert, but I have had at least three dogs for a long time, and have introduced someone to our pack on several occasions.
It really depends on how well trained your current dogs are as well.
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julie brader I think Eddie has a 6 year old female and wants to add a 2 year old female? You may have problems with 2 Pitbull bitches….I would imagine they can be same breed agressive. You would need to introduce them on neutral ground and let them get to know each other first. Make sure they each have their own space at home if they need it….separate feeding bowls, beds ect. Plus I would make sure you can put them in different rooms if necessary. It depends on the temperament of both the dogs aa to how they will get along. Good luck.
agreed – consistency is important during the training process. once she’s used to it and goes in willingly, i’d say feel free to scale back, but for now keep things to a daily practice.