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Pawbly | 8 years ago
He’s An Indoor Cat, Escaped Few Days Ago And I Believed He Fell In The…

He’s an indoor cat, escaped few days ago and I believed he fell in the drain behind my house because he came back full of dirt. I think he might have hurt his leg jumping out of the drain. He’s not limping, didnt show any sign of hurt at first but when I tried to lift him up he got angry, when I checked his front leg, it didnt feel broken and he got really grumpy when I touch it. He’s still eating/drinking but less than usual. He’s also pretty moody and lethargic, less playful.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
Our Dog Recently Started Showing Stiffness In Her Rear Right Leg. It Seemed To Happen…

Our Dog recently started showing stiffness in her rear right leg. It seemed to happen after playing but didn’t notice anything out of normal while playing. We have taken her in twice, first time they gave her “vitamins”, glucoseamin. Second time, nonsterodial anitinflamatory and mild pain reliever. It seemed to bother her less but has done nothing for longterm, she is sore after 2-5mins of any exercise (very limited exercise to take it easy but keep mobility). She is a 6yr old Weimaraner. I’m not sure I trust this Vet (banfield) and I know without a full scan hard to answer. Any advice for treating the symptom with an understanding of the breed too would be greatly appreciated. Looking online for answers really has only added more confusion and stress. Either she’s dying or has a strain/sprain, is the scope of possibilities online…so not much help. Thank you for your time.

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  1. Christina Chambreau

    Bradd, this is where, when I only had my conventional veterinary training, I would
    often be very frustrated because even expensive tests led me no closer to ways to heal deeply as I had limited options. The holistic
    philosophy has taught me that there is an underlying vibrational imbalance that
    causes most problems and the healing goal is to resolve that imbalance with
    treatments selected for that individual animal. Your dog should be able to walk completely normally for the rest of his life, maybe with some continuing treatments. To better understand this
    perspective, read the first few chapters of Don Hamilton’s Homeopathic Care of
    Cats and Dogs, the few pages in my book, the Healthy Animal’s Journal or Wendy
    Jensen’s Practical Handbook of Veterinary Homeopathy: Healing Our Companion
    Animals from the Inside Out,

    While you may be able to help as home, especially If you were trained in different healing modalities (see below – YOU BE THE
    HEALER) by using Reiki,
    T-Touch, HTA, flower essences, acupressure, herbs, essential oils, supplements,
    homeopathy and more. I am giving multiple suggestions because only some may be
    available in your area, and each animal is unique, so what works with one does
    not work with all. This is the joy of holistic approaches – we have dozens of
    things to try, while conventional has merely a few.
    1. Even before you are trained in Reiki, you can ask for this energy healing
    that cannot hurt and may help (See REIKI, below, for web sites to request
    healing). Once you are attuned, offer it daily to the whole house. This will not cure, but may help and will never harm. 
    2. Flower essences are totally safe, so select one or more to try. These
    flower essence companies have combinations for animals : SpiritEssences.com,
    Anaflora.com; GreenHopeEssences.com; petessence.com Many other companies like
    Bach with single remedies can help you select essences.  At your local pharmacy (maybe) or health food
    store (for sure) you can buy rescue remedy. This combination of Bach flowers can
    help especially when the pain seems worse, or if there is a healing crisis when working with a holistic vet. Put 4 drops in one ounce of water and
    use it: in the mouth, rubbed on more hairless areas of the skin, on the paws,
    in a bowl of water in a room not near the drinking water. It can be given
    topically or orally as often as it seems to help.
    3. Most importantly, change to a raw (or lightly cooked) meaty bone diet as
    this it is more digestible than any processed foods so builds up the immune
    system allowing her body to self heal.

    FIND AN INTEGRATIVE VETERINARIAN
    I strongly recommend finding an integrative veterinarian with whom to work.
    This is a person trained in many different approaches, including using
    conventional drugs only when absolutely needed. Working with one can increase
    the chance that your cherished companion can live a long and healthy life after
    recovering from this current problem. There are good ones and great ones, and a
    few homeopathic veterinarians will consult by phone or email. You can go to the
    web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find
    one near to you. Many practitioners are members of only one or two of the
    organizations, so you do need to go to every site to find who is near you. http://christinachambreau.com/learn-more/links-to-healing-resources has all the organizations (chiropractic, homeopathic, acupuncture and chinese herbs, osteopathy, postural work, western herbs) listed. 


    If you are interested in better health in general, please read the following.  I hope you are too overwhelmed by all this information but your Weimaraner is so young (I have ones liveing over 15 years) that I would love to help her recover from this and live a lot longer. 
    7 KEYS TO HEALTHY ANIMALS
    1. Know the current level of health. Most health problems are the result of an
    underlying energy imbalance.  As we cure animals of “disease”,
    we find that other things we thought were normal go away, so we can use these
    clues to know that animals are not healthy yet.  Your goal is for your
    animal to have great energy, no doggy odor, no hairball vomiting, little
    shedding, a glowing coat and many more. Below is a complete list of these signs
    (Early Warning Signs of Illness). In young animals, these apparently
    “normal” problems may be the only indications to start exploring new
    options for lifestyle or treatment.  Buy the Healthy Animal’s Journal
    (www.HealthyAnimalsJournal.com) so you can see how these early warning symptoms
    and obvious ill symptoms change over time.  

    2. Feed the best. What are the best diets for people or animals — the most
    processed or the freshest, most organic?   The best ingredients should be
    the most consciously raised – local, organic vegetables, free ranging protein
    sources. Dogs and cats have ripping and tearing teeth, bone crunching teeth, no
    digestive juices in the mouth, jaws that do not chew, a stomach full of acid
    where the food sits for 4-12 hours and a very short transit time in the intestines.
    Dogs and cats do not pull out a knife to de-bone their prey and do not pull out
    matches to light a fire to cook their meat and vegetables. Therefore the best
    diet for dogs and cats is raw meat including raw bones, pureed raw and cooked
    vegetables and a few supplements (Calcium if no bones are eaten is critical).
    Grains are not good for most animals, but if there are none of the early
    warning signs (see below) and no illnesses, you can feed some grains,
    preferably the higher protein ones. Start as young kittens and puppies or at
    whatever age you read this (Brighthaven.org, a cat sanctuary switches 16 years
    old and older cats to raw meat diet and some have lived to 27 and 30, and now
    one to 35). Second best is same quality, but cooked.  Even grocery store
    quality meat and vegetables are much better than most processed foods.
    Processed foods are an effort for the food industry to use up its waste
    products except for a few companies with great motives (and even they sometimes
    get bad or inferior ingredients). Processed foods are also a problem for the
    environment – they are not sustainable. Many dogs and cats need probiotics,
    especially if fed processed, dead foods. My current favorite is Mitomax. I have
    had many animals’ minor health problems clear up while using this. Unlike other
    probiotics, it is very stable and is ok at the low stomach pH. Every animal
    needs and wants a different combination of foods and supplements at different
    times in their lives depending on different stressors and health challenges,
    just as we do. With any food, observe each of your animals for the effect that
    food has on them and change if decreased energy or poor coat or other Early
    Warning Signs. NEVER feed DRY food to cats – even as treats. It causes most
    cats to drink more water resulting in stress to the kidneys and also can
    trigger bladder problems in cats. You can now buy many commercial raw meat
    diets. You must research them as well. Ask where the ingredients are raised?
    Are chemicals used? Are the chickens, beef, pork, etc raised in humane ways,
    out in the sun to get the Vitamin D in the meat, etc? My favorite newest books
    to guide you are: Steve Brown’s Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet; Hofve and
    Yarnall’s the Paleodog; Becker and Taylor’s Dr. Becker’s real food for healthy
    dogs and cats; Taylor and Brown’s See spot Live Longer; and Basko’s Fresh food
    and Ancient Wisdom.

    3. Vaccinate the least. In my opinion, vaccines have caused more harm to
    animals than anything else we have done. Do you get measles and mumps vaccines
    every year of your life? Researchers in conventional veterinary medicine agree
    that we vaccinate too often, in too many combinations, and that this level of
    vaccination, while preventing epidemics, is harmful to the health of
    susceptible animals.  On-going studies show that antibodies are high 10
    and 16 years later for dog and cat distemper and dog Parvo so I recommend just
    a few baby shots and NO more. While Rabies is also a viral disease, you must
    follow the law, which is every 3 years.

    To help prevent damage from the Rabies vaccine, or any others that are
    accidentally given, do the following. First, learn Reiki (see below) and hold
    the vaccine syringe in your hand until the “draw” is gone, then Reiki
    the injection site once you are in the car, then Reiki the whole animal daily
    until they do not “draw”. If you have not yet learned Reiki, use the
    contacts below to have it done for your animal after the vaccine. For two weeks
    before and two weeks after, give the totally safe Vaccine Detox, a flower
    essence from http://www.SpiritEssences.com. Give triple the dose of calcium (or add
    some calcium) for 3 days before and 5 days after the vaccines. Dr. Peck is
    finding a drop in calcium at vaccination time. Then use the Early Warning
    signs, below, to see if further holistic treatment is needed if any of them
    appear or worsen. A wonderful list serve on vaccines, their harm and
    alternatives is at yahoo groups. To register, go to
    novaxk9s-subscribe@yahoogroups.com A great web site ishttp://vaccines.dogsadversereactions.com/ 

    4. Use the fewest chemicals, remembering that there are chemicals in vaccines.
    Each animal is an individual and will respond differently to heartworm, flea
    and tick preventatives. My kindle book, FLEAS BE GONE: a holistic
    veterinarian’s guide to natural flea control will help you avoid these. Some
    are very sensitive to chemicals used in the yard or the house and in vaccines –
    they will become profoundly ill. Others will be triggered by these chemicals to
    just not have full health.  Chemicals in foods can cause allergic type reactions,
    so again feeding a fresh diet from local ingredients will be best. Healthy
    yards have lots of weeds. House cleaners can be made from foods and microfibril
    cloths clean like a charm. Healthy animals never get fleas and ticks

    5. Understand how animals become ill and how they heal. First there is an
    energetic imbalance (they are just not right), then functional (the dog is
    itchy), then inflamed (skin is red, infected, swollen and hot) and finally
    tissue changes (thick, black skin). Results of any treatment can be no change,
    amelioration (current symptoms disappear with no other improvements, then
    return), suppression (current symptoms disappear and they become more ill) or a
    cure (everything about the animal to begins to improve, especially the overall
    energy level.)  
    Keeping a journal is critical to determine what treatments are helping problems
    to become less frequent and less severe. You can stand firm with what you feel
    is working even if your professional disagrees and change approaches when
    needed. You can create your own using a three ring binder, a notebook, a
    calendar. Be sure to have a master symptom list, pages where you list
    treatments you have started or been given, and pages where you make daily or
    frequent entries about every symptom on the master symptom list, especially
    including the overall energy level, emotional state and new changes. Some
    people have found my book makes it easier.
    http://christinachambreau.com/bookstore/healthy-animal-journal/healthy-dog-journ is
    a great one to use in print or e-version is available.  

    6. YOU BE THE HEALER.  I strongly recommend getting some training in
    understanding the wide range of approaches to health so you can be in charge of
    what you choose for treatments for your animals. There are so many different
    ways to stimulate healing that you never need to give up trying. From books,
    on-line and in classes you can learn Reiki (which can take the “bad”
    out of vaccines and any needed drugs, or even make food healthier), massage,
    HTA, TTouch, acupressure, flower essence therapy, all of which are 100% safe to
    use for any problems. There are many more approaches you can do to help heal
    your animals with some training since they need to be used more carefully –
    homeopathy, herbal medicine, Chinese herbs, aromatherapy. In addition to
    classes there are many very good list serves filled with people experienced
    with not vaccinating and feeding raw meat diets. Classes are found through your
    health food store, by phone or on-line. As with human health approaches, there
    are many different opinions, so you need to experiment and see what makes your
    animals more or less healthy. 

    7. Select the best healers for each animal’s health team. Most people want a
    veterinarian (preferably integrative) and an energy healer. You decide what
    needs to be tried next for your animal. When you realize the animal is not
    improving – seek different care. Use conventional veterinarians for diagnosis
    and emergency treatment, or if other methods are not working. Again,
    integrative veterinarians (see above) will be able to do both, and have the
    philosophical understanding of the vibrational causes of illness. 

    Learn more and more

    Every Thursday from 1-2 eastern Dr. Jeff Feinman and myself
    host a talk at http://www.BLAB.IM

       If you sign up here
    you will get a weekly reminder – and know when we change the time to help
    people come during lunch.

    https://blab.im/dr-jeff-feinman-do-no-harm-care-for-your-pets-holistically-with-drs-jeff-and-christina-1

     

    Books – I have books with comments listed –
    (www.MyHealthyAnimal.com)

    Classes – I teach many different classes. The best way to
    find them is to subscribe to My RSS feed on my site (click on RSS on any page)
    and the newsletter.

    Email me if you wish to host a class in your town or on the
    internet. HealthyAnimals@aol.com

    Magazines – Animal Wellness Magazine – use ccdvm code when
    you subscribe (and Feline and Equine Wellness, too). 

    Whole Dog Journal and Dogs Naturally Magazine (they have
    webinars on raw feeding that are excellent), too.

    Internet – over 50 shows archived–

            
    http://www.homeopathyworldcommunity.com/page/drchristinachambreau

    Search online for the many other classes and lectures
    available for the 

    Most skills in classes about health approaches for people
    can be extrapolated to animals. The acupressure points are the same, remedies
    are used the same way, Reiki is good for everything, etc.

     

    I also do Pet Health Coaching to help you learn about the
    current health issues, what you can do at home to build health and save money,
    and I match you up with the veterinarian we think would be best.

     

    Good Health for your pet, Dr. Chambreau

    REIKI:
    Personally, I think every person who lives with or works with animals must know
    at least Level I Reiki. The practitioner offers this energy and the animal
    comes over to get it (or places her hands upon the animal), or it can be done
    from a distance, even around the world with the intent for healing to occur.
    The energy flows through the healer into the animal. This is based on directly
    applying Chi (energy) to rebalance the energy field so it no longer needs to
    produce the physical symptoms. It is a very good adjunct to any healing
    modality, especially to relieve pain and inflammation. I have seen cats who
    began to eat again when their food was treated with Reiki. It also “takes
    the bad out of” things. By doing Reiki on smelly water in restaurants I
    have been able to drink sweet tasting and smelling water. Use Reiki anytime
    that you must give injections, vaccines, drugs, flea or heartworm drugs, or
    other substances with potential toxicity. Reiki is great to calm animals,
    relieve discomfort, and can deeply heal some problems in some animals.  

    1. Great information on Reiki – http://www.reikicourse.org
    2. Kathleen Prasad is a wonderful teacher and works with my favorite sanctuary
    and holistic education center, BrightHaven http://www.brighthaven.org. Kathleen leads
    a free monthly telechat for anyone trained in Reiki and using it with animals.http://www.animalreikisource.com/

    3. If you cannot find a Reiki Class near you (same class for people and animals
    as it connects you through an “attunement” to the healing energy of
    the universe, making you a channel of healing), the following groups offer long
    distance, free, attunements. 

    a. http://theholisticcare.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13
    b. http://freereikiattunement.com/
    c. Christine at cbearse@earthlink.net, http://www.awakeningrainbows.com. To receive
    free distance Reiki send her your first name only, city and state, and whether
    or not you have had any Reiki training.  She invites you to include your
    pets as well.  She uses a teddy bear and does a full body Reiki distance
    treatment for one hour each Sunday evening from 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. EST. 
    d. And a team of over 100 healers will send free healing energy until you say
    not to. Email Barbara at nancelot01@aol.com with your healing request, name of
    animal, species, color & age. In the subject say request through Dr.
    Chambreau

    4. for a fee:

    Excellent recommendation in 2015 – http://reikishamanic.com/

    http://www.ReikiBlessings.com offers many types of energy healing
    classes- search a bit to find the reiki ones or email them. Long distance
    healing and training is at http://www.animalhealers.homestead.com. 
    5. Get a free treatment for yourself at http://www.interdimensionalhealing.com.

    Another wonderful healer, Deena Spears works long distance with Sound Tuning.
    http://www.Singingwoods.com. I have seen many animals and the people in a home be
    healed by her work.

    LISTS SERVES TO HELP YOU LEARN TO FEED THE BEST – 
    From the folks that brought us Jstsayno2vaccs is a new site for raw feeding –
    excellent –http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawk9s/  Here
    is what they say, “Lastly, we saw a need for a beginner’s raw feeding group.
    Many of the raw feeding groups have grown very large and often new people are lost
    in the shuffle. In addition, some raw feeding groups are specialized to one
    type of feeding only. We believe that feeding raw is the first step in whole
    health and have tried to create an environment of learning and support where
    there are no dumb questions and everyone gets individual attention. With that
    in mind Kathleen recently instituted a mentoring program where mentor’s sign up
    to help individuals, and new folks can opt into the program and receive private
    help in their journey. It has been a huge success. 

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aunaturelK9 –
    the above groups breeding web site. Excellent.

    EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF ILLNESS FOR DOGS AND CATS

    1. Is your companion really healthy?
    2. Can you tell if the treatment you selected is deeply curing?
    3. Can your companion be healthier than you realize?
    YES – read on and evaluate your animal for true health.

    Most health problems are the result of an underlying energy imbalance, made
    worse from poor diet and vaccination.  They are rarely acute diseases
    (except injuries). Therefore, you may find that the problem does not clear up
    as you expect or it recurs. If so, you are dealing with an underlying
    predisposition to illness, and these clues to underlying ill health will help
    you select a remedy and monitor the results.  As we cure animals of
    “disease”, we find that certain other “NORMAL” things go
    away, too.  Do not be satisfied until most of the following symptoms are
    gone.  In young, apparently healthy animals, these apparently
    “normal” problems may be the only indications to start treatment.
    This is only the beginning of a list – as more animals are cured we will find
    new levels of health. Tracking these is easy when you use the Healthy Animal’s
    Journal by Dr. Christina Chambreau (www.HealthyAnimalsJournal.com)
    SKIN: doggy smell; attracts fleas a lot; dry, oily, lack-luster coat;
    excessive shedding; not grooming,    ear problems – waxy, oily,
    itchy, recurrent mites; eye discharge, tearing, or matter in corner of eyes;
    raised third eyelid; spots appearing on iris; “freckles” appearing on
    face; whiskers falling out; fragile, thickened, distorted claws that are
    painful or sensitive to trim.
    BEHAVIOR: Fears(of loud noises, thunder, wind, people, animals, life); too
    timid; too rough or aggressive (even at play); too hard to train; barks too
    much and too long; suspicious nature; biting    when petted too
    long; hysteria when restrained; clumsy; indolent; licking or sucking things or
    people too much; not using litter box or not covering stool.
    DIGESTIVE: Bad breath; tarter accumulation; loss of teeth; poor appetite;
    craving weird things(rubber    bands, plastic, dirt, cat litter,
    paper, dogs eating dog or cat stools, rocks, sticks…); sensitivity to milk;
       thirst – a super healthy cat on non dry food will drink at
    most once a week; red gum line; vomiting often, even hairballs more than a few
    times a year; mucous on stools; tendency to diarrhea with least    change
    of diet; obesity;  anal gland problems; recurrent parasites.
    STIFFNESS when getting up, early hip dysplasia; tires easily in hot or cold
    weather; can no longer jump up on counters, or go up or down steps.
    TEMPERATURE: Low grade fevers – Normal for healthy cats and dogs is
    100-101.5. 
    AGE & REPRODUCTION: Should live a long life (Shepards 17 years, Danes 12,
    cats 24). should be able    conceive easily, deliver normally,
    and not pass on “genetic breed” problems.

     

  2. PK Dennis

    Bradd,  I think you should seek a second opinion, and it would be best to find an orthopedic specialist.  It can make a world of difference to find the doctor that sees this type of thing every day compared to one that has only read about what might be wrong (or sees these problems only once-in-a-while).  

    There are a lot of bad reviews out there about Banfield – and I had a bad experience at a Banfield facility myself (they advertised that they had a holistic vet, and I called and set up an appointment to see that vet, but once I was in the exam room I discovered that they had switched doctors and that the holistic vet hadn’t been working there for over a year.  Can you say bait and switch!)

    There are other options that you should explore – T Touch, Acupressure, Acupuncture, massage, etc.  

    And how about an MRI instead of an X-ray?  Soft tissue injuries often show better in an MRI, but they do cost more.

    Good luck.  

  3. Bradd Bosley

    Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Our dog is a family member like most of us here I I’m assuming. It can be frustrating and not knowing professionally how to help her is even more frustrating. I really appreciate your advice. I agree with Banfield..it seems band-aiding a problem is there go to option first. If they don’t know what’s wrong they just give anitinflamatory and pain killers. Tough to see a young active dog all drugged up with no positive results. I was able to get an appointment with a veterinarian physical and mobility therapist. Hopefully we will have some better answers tomorrow. Thank you again

  4. Bradd Bosley

    Thank you so much for all this great info. I am a culinary nutritionist and can’t agree more on healing humans and makes sense with animals through proper nutrition and the right vitamins and minerals. I really like the idea of taking a natural approach and I will most certainly read up on more homeopathic ways to help our little pooch. Again, I appreciate the time you put into supplying all this great info. I did have good luck and got an appointment with a physical and mobility therapist here locally that came highly recommended. I hope we will have some answers tomorrow. Thank you again,

    Bradd

  5. Bradd Bosley

    Thank you for responding to my question, I really appreciate the great advise. I did take X-rays but to your point maybe we try something more if we still can’t get answers. We were able to get her an appointment tomorrow with a physical and mobility therapist, so my figures are crossed. She’s too young and too happy to have any kind of mobility issues. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Question
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Pawbly | 8 years ago
First Of All, Let Me Clarify That My Dog Was Not Adopted & Has Been…

First of all, let me clarify that my dog was not adopted & has been raised by myself since she was a puppy so there was no previous abuse. She is my 1st actual pet & her name is Charlie & she is about 5 years old, so yes she was around before my boyfriend. When I first got her I did a lot of research on how to train her and the things I found were very successful, such as, how to housebreak a dog (which took surprisingly no time at all), positive reinforcement, & most importantly how to train your dog how to behave around all types of people. In order to make her comfortable around people I exposed her from the very start to people of different sexes & ethnicities, groups of people, and various ages (so she would be comfortable around my toddler nieces & nephews). To me it seemed this training worked because she loved to have company and would go up to any person male or female. I actually think that she liked my male friends more. She was also great with the toddlers she would let them chase her then turn around and chase them and never harm them & they love her. Whenever I see my nieces and nephews they always ask me where’s Charlie? She still behaves well around others & gladly approaches them, even complete strangers. The trouble started about 3 1/2 years ago when I started dating my current boyfriend. At first, she acted totally normal around him, for example, she would play with him, sit in his lap, etc. I think the real problem began when she realized that my boyfriend was not going anywhere when we moved in together. Ever since then, she has acted terrified of him & I don’t know why it happened since they hit it off at 1st. She cowers & trembles if he gets too close to her (which usually isn’t on purpose, he gives her the space she needs). Sometimes it seems like she’s trying purposefully to get him in trouble like a doggy tattletale. For example, when this first began & still to this day, whenever she would walk past my boyfriend she would make a yelping sound and run past him especially if I was in another room to make me think he hurt her. Every time I have caught her doing that my boyfriend was no where near her, sitting down, or in what I think is a non-threatening position. I do not comfort her when she behaves this way as it is not appropriate. The situation is so bad that she will not even allow my bf to open the door to let her outside to go potty but she will still sleep in the bed with us just not near him. I feel like we’ve tried a lot of things like having my bf feed her & give her treats but this has not worked! I mean she would eat the food & take the treats but still has nothing to do with him!! The situation is so bad that I cannot even leave her with my bf when I have to go out of town for work because like I said she won’t go outside for him! My mother usually is the one that ends up having to watch my dog when I’m out of town. Which is fine because my mother loves Charlie but she shouldn’t have to do that I would prefer for her to be comfortable at home with my bf. If my BF gets home from work before I do, then he opens her kennel door for her so she can come out & play in the house but instead she cowers in the open cage like she is in trouble until I get home then comes out. I don’t think that my bf has ever harmed her when I wasn’t around but I wouldn’t know if I wasn’t there. He knows I have a certain way of disciplining her & respects that so he’s never done any disciplining that I’ve seen nor do I think he wants to since the situation is already out of hand. He is unhappy about the situation as much as I am because he wants her to be happy too. It really bums us out. Especially since other dogs seem to love him. I wonder if it all boils down to jealousy. She’s not super overprotective of me like some dogs are. I try to give her the same amount of attention & keep to her routine. I do NOT use any physical punishment, if she does something bad I tell her to go to her room/kennel (with the door open) & she stays there until I call her back from what I call “time out.” Why is she acting like this & how can we stop this from happening? She’s my baby and my BF & I want us 3 to be a happy family! Please, please help!!!

5 Responses

Comments

  1. PK Dennis

    So, there are just so many things wrong about your understanding of how a dog’s mind works in your description that I barely know where to start.  Dogs don’t purposefully try to get humans into trouble like a tattletale.  They are not that evolved.

    The points that you have made indicate to me that this dog is truly afraid of the boyfriend – some thing he did years ago convinced her that she should be worried about him, and that has snowballed to what you see today.  It may have been something as innocent as he stepped on her toes by accident.  Dogs read body language and facial expressions better than we humans – and something as small as a look at her could compound her fear.  

    This is a very frustrating situation for you, and for the BF – you are both probably giving off negative energy without knowing it!  She is picking up on the human frustration and it will only get worse if you don’t get some professional help.

    And NOTHING you can do will solve this problem.  It is a matter between your BF and your dog.  So, you need to find a behaviorist that will come to your home and work with you, the BF and the dog.  The behaviorist will be able to observe the dog and how you both interact with her and help you all find solutions to correct the situation.  It is going to be a matter of your BF building trust with the dog.  And since we can’t be there to watch the interaction, this forum isn’t going to be of much help other than by pointing you to professional, in-the-home, aid.

    So, find someone that does positive training that can come to your home, and that you and your BF like so you can help your girl have the life she deserves – comfortable in her own home.

  2. Brittany Jacobs

    Thank you very much for your advice PK Dennis. I would love to have a behavioral therapist come to our home but the facts are even if I could find one in the immediate area, I couldn’t afford one hence the forum. Also PK, if you really want to help pet owners you probably shouldn’t start off with an insult or people are not likely to take your advice seriously. I’ve obviously stated that I’ve done extensive research on the topic as indicated in the post. I have seen other forums where advice was given & was lead to believe PAWBLY was one that might actually help. I am quite aware that dogs aren’t evolved enough to “tattletale” & that you can’t be here to see my dog’s behavior that’s why I described my dog’s actions. I have never done a forum before & if I wasn’t desperate I wouldn’t have come here. I am very aware that dogs since emotions & energies. Since neither the bf or pet are going anywhere anytime soon I need advice even if you cannot offer anything else. I’m specifically looking for people who have gone through similar situations & could offer any suggestions that helped in their personal situation that we could try!

  3. PK Dennis

    Good luck with that – you need a trainer/behaviorist. Three and a half years – you haven’t solved it by now, you aren’t the going to be able to solve it on your own. Offer to barter with a trainer – clean Thier house, clean their kennel, what ever it takes to get the eyes and hands on help your dog needs to feel secure in her own home.

  4. Frankie Delise

    A dogs only going to be terrified of someone if that someone has hurt the dog id rethink thinking it’s the dog and not leave the boyfriend around the dog unsupervised

  5. Brittany Jacobs

    Well I have found 1 behavioral therapist in my area & she’s still an hour away. It’s pretty expensive since she’s like the only one in this area but I’ve emailed her in hopes of a barter. From what I’ve read she does in home therapy but I don’t know if she’ll drive this far. I feel like if I take my dog to her it may not work as well. It would feel like a trip to the vet for her, she would smell the fear and start shaking & shedding. Wish me luck! On a better note, when I told my partner my wish to have an a behavioral therapist come to our home to help them I feel like he’s made more of an effort to earn the dog’s trust. I feel like when I told him I posted on this forum for help it really struck home to him that I don’t just want to have to deal with the situation I want it to be better. I don’t know why posting for help is any different than our talks about the situation prior to my posting but whatever. Maybe he doesn’t want a stranger in our home. Oh well, that’s a temporary fear, my price, & a possible end to my Charlie’s fear!!! I’ve noticed some improvements since then! The two have been playing for sure whereas before she wouldn’t come near him & yesterday she came up to him! Granted it was no lap call but she let him pet her. I just feel like if he’s more onboard with the idea it will work better. I mean for a while I feel he had given up on mending their relationship. I think what scares her the most is bf’s voice he would never intentionally harm her. He talk too loud because he’s had a lot of hearing loss from his time in Iraq. We’ve been working on that in the meantime too & it helps but it is hard for him to know when his tone gets louder. I’m happier with the results so far but foster hopes that the therapist will understand & barter to come to our home.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
My Dog Is 8 Month. He Is Very High Energy And Happy. …

my dog is 8 month. he is very high energy and happy. we had since poppy. when he is with other dog, he want to play . some times make other dog mud and start get serious. How can I train him play nice with any dog?

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  1. Anonymous

    Yoriko, at any point have you gone through obedience classes with him?  Was he socialized with other dogs as a very young puppy?

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
We Have Had Our Female Shitz Tuz Mandie For 3 Years, She Was A Rescue…

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

3 Responses

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  1. Ashley Garison

    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!

  2. PK Dennis

    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.

  3. Andrea Cox

    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. 

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
I Just Got A New 9 Week Old Kitten. I Got Him The Night…

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.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
Three Weeks Ago He Ate Some Play Sand And Then Yesterday He Ate Some Aquarium…

Three weeks ago he ate some play sand and then yesterday he ate some aquarium rocks(the real tiny ones). Since he has eaten the sand he has started having seizures off and on. He has been to his vet but I have not gotten any answers to my questions. Im trying to get advice and help, I am truly worried about my boy.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
Until Recently, He Was High Energy And Playful, Despite Being Underweight. Now He Will Not…

Until recently, he was high energy and playful, despite being underweight. Now he will not play, and lays down immediately if not eating or eliminating. He has also gone from EXTREMELY affectionate to seemingly avoiding physical contact

5 Responses

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  1. Anonymous

    I’d be getting him to the vet.  Sounds like he needs it.

  2. Amy Mize

    Thanks I spent $5,000 on him at the vet since January I was trying to get input from other sources

  3. Anonymous

    Because this is a recent change, it’s warranted.

  4. PK Dennis

    It sounds to me that he is in pain – the avoiding physical contact.  Have you found a Great Dane group?  Often things like this are specific to a breed and other Dane owners will point you in the right direction quicker than folks not as familiar with that particular breed.  I found a Scottie group on Facebook that has given me tons of help with my new Scottie mix puppy since my first Scot was older when I adopted him.

    When I hear about thin dogs that won’t gain weight I immediately think about Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI).  This is a condition where the dog’s pancreas does not produce sufficient enzymes for the dog to properly digest their food and they can not gain weight no matter how much they eat.  The undigested food in their gut leads to pain and and produces very large stool.  

    Enzyme supplements or feeding raw pancreas (you need to get the whole pancreas and feed it fresh, I believe) is the solution.  Here is a link to a Whole Dog Journal article about this: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_3/features/Exocrine-Pancreatic-Insuffinciency-in-Dogs_16109-1.html

  5. Sam Brizz

    Ask on the Facebook page “Great Dane Rescue, Inc” there are a lot of Great Dane owners there with a lot of great knowledge of the breed

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
Hiya, My 6 Year Old German Shepherd Has Been Limping Oddly Since Last Wednesday But…

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.

1 Response

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  1. Anonymous

    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.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
Sorry If This Seems To Ramble. I Just Have A Lot On My Mind.

He…

Sorry if this seems to ramble. I just have a lot on my mind.

He has already broken and melted my heart. I am a teacher and will actually be off work for the next 6 weeks to train, play, and “mother” the little guy. I think I have convinced my mother to watch him for the first couple of months when school starts to help him settle in because he is so young. Our best guess is that he is a lab mix. He will probably be medium to large in size.

I know that socialization is so important for a pup of this age. What can I do to help him?

I keep crying and my anxiety about the next 6 months is very high. My worries make it hard to sleep even when the little guy is sleeping. I’m so sad for him and I just want to make sure that he is a happy, healthy puppy. The shelters around here are overwhelmed and I refuse to leave the little guy. Euthanasia rates are pretty high.

He will eventually be an indoor/outdoor dog. I won’t be comfortable with this, though, until he is older. That is why I’m going to pay my mom to watch him. I will be gone from 7-3:30 and my man works from 7:30-5. On days with inclement weather, my fella would be able to come home and let him in or out. We have a large fenced in back yard with plenty of shady areas. I live in a rural area with very kind neighbors so I am not worried about anyone messing with him. I live in East Tennessee where there is rarely an extreme temperature; however, I’m also looking into adding a doggie door, too.

Here is what I have done so far:

(1) He has a lifestyle crate (with the partition to make it smaller for now) that is attached to a large playpen in our kitchen. He sleeps in this crate at night. I’ve been sleeping on a couch next to it at night to take him out when he wakes. This is generally every 2 hrs.

(2) I’ve taken him to the vet. They dewormed him and gave him a flea treatment that is appropriate for a little guy under 5Lbs.

(3) I take him out to potty every time he wakes up from sleeping. He has only had 3 accidents in 3.5 days. I clean up his mess well so as not to leave a smell and take him out anyway. I DO NOT scold such a young pup but rather just take him out and set him in the grass each time.

What can I do to ensure this little guy has a great adolescence? Especially considering he is off to a rough start?

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Katlyn Rose

    It will probably take a little while to potty train him because he is so young. To socialize him you can take him on walks and play with him and get him toys to play with. Puppies are resiliant so even though he has had a rough start just give him a loving home and play with him and make sure he is happy and he will be fine into adolescence. I hope you and your new puppy the best!

  2. Sarah

    Don’t worry about what happened to him. Think about how lucky he is to have a caring human now who is taking great care of him. Socialization is important. Make sure to introduce him to lots of people when he is old enough to go on nice walks. Also dog parks or other dogs that you know, should be a great way to introduce him to other dogs. Your vet should have a ton of info to share with you.  Best of luck!!

  3. Sarah Simpson

    Thanks for the encouragement! I had a torturous few day where I didn’t know if I should keep him or take him to the shelter. Many people on the internet acted like it was inhumane to have a dog if you couldn’t keep him indoors 24/7 and be with him most of the time; however, the lady at the shelter showed me all the cute pups there and told me that many don’t make it out. I refuse to give up on him! I’m not rich and I don’t have the resources to put him in a daycare every day but I do have a very comfortable and large home with a privacy fence. I have lots of love in my heart and no children, as well.

    I plan to use the next 6 weeks to get him into the routine of our household. My mother won’t be able to help out because she takes care of my grandmother but my man is gonna arrange to drive 40 minutes here and 40 minutes back on his lunch to check on little man.

    We are looking at collar activated doggie doors currently but he will be too young for that at first. I found a really cool solar paneled fan that can attach to a doghouse and “heated flooring” options for winter. I can’t believe this stuff exists! Who knew a dog could have a climate controlled doghouse?!?

    Again, I really appreciate the supportive comments while I was panicking about what to do. 🙂