Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
my 4 week old pup was diagnosed with puppy strangles, she drained the large lump below his ear, and gave us penicillian, but now the lump is TWICE the size, he keeps sneezing/coughing, having trouble breathing, weak. im scared he gonna die
She has not been able to jump on the couch for a few days now. She has always slept in bed with me or my younger sisters but now she won’t even get down to pee. (she went in the bed for the 1st time since she was a puppy that was too small to get down.) My dogs are very close to me, and they are my closest friends. I am scared that she is developing arthritis and that I will not be able to afford much help for her if that is the case. I can give her away to someone that can afford frequent visits to the vet even though it would break my heart to pieces.. if I give her away, I would almost have to find a home that would take her daughter too. They could not live apart, it would only make them miserable. I don’t want to give them up at all. The only reason I’d consider it, is because I love her so much that I would rather her live a longer life without me than a shorter life with me. She does not deserve to suffer just because I am too selfish to give her away bc it would hurt me so bad. I love her so much that I would let her (and her daughter) go in order for her to receive the proper care if she is developing arthritis. I am just afraid that she would never be happy without me and my family. I would die inside, but I want her to be okay.
when is the best time to have a bitch puppy speyed
depends on the breed and whether you’re able to keep her away from dogs.
larger breeds mature later, and it’s suggested to wait until AT LEAST their first heat to ensure their bodies develop fully…if not until they are fully grown. for example, if i were not actively showing my doberman, i would be spaying her around her second birthday in July.
she is 8 months old and is having her first heat. She is as cross between a bichon frisse and a maltese terrier.
Our guidelines in Col. Potter Cairn Rescue is for females to be spayed at 6 months, same for males to be neutered. In the past 20 years of owning dogs I have gone from fixing them at 1 year old to this 6 month age recommendation and I see big differences in how my dogs respond. And I am liking the results of altering them at 6 months.
My puppy is 12 weeks. He sleeps in a pen at night but destroys his pee pads. His pee has stuck to the laminate floors and it smells so bad. What are some ideas with potty training and pee pads? He’s a 12 week German shepherd.
When we crate our puppy we actually don’t put pee pads in there — take him out at night and in the morning and do it consistently and it teaches them when to go to the bathroom
We were told not to put pee pads in the crate as they should not be encouraged to go to the bathroom in their den. It takes a little while to get used to but we found getting rid of pee pads altogether was the best thing ever. We had our months of accidents but now our guy never goes to the bathroom inside.
I found pee pads increased his incontinence
Give him some space and toys and stuff and reinforce him for going in the den and just making sure he doesn’t have water before bed and is taken outside
Also make sure his kennel doesn’t smell like urine or feces — he may not realize he isn’t suppose to go to the bathroom in there and he may be playing or destroying the pee pads because he is teething — there are awesome rubber toys you can get and we just popped out the squeek mechanism in them so ours could chew on them all night and also make sure he gets a long walk and lots of exercise before he goes in so he isn’t full of energy!!
if he’s urinating constantly could be a UTI so many get checked for that!
i pretty much agree with everything Piper has said, but I’d like to add a few things.
when you’re home, take him out every half hour. set him up for success, and don’t let him urinate or defacate anywhere in the house. this sets a rule – it tells him outside is where he’s to do his business. every time he DOES use the yard, throw a party. make it rain treats. make him think he just did the best thing ever. throw out the pee pads, all they do is teach him it’s okay to pee in the house, plus they act as a possible obstruction if he ever decides to eat the plastic.
i want to reinforce: make sure he’s EMPTY before you come inside for the night. this is really crucial to his training and the comfort of your sense of smell. 😉 and for now it may be best to get up in the middle of the night to take him out, just until he gets the hang of sleeping through the night. we had to do that with our previous puppy until his death – he couldn’t hold it due to a birth defect, and it made everyone happier if no one had to clean up a lake of urine every morning.
do you crate him? this might be more effective than pee pads in a pen – get a crate appropriate for his adult size, but make sure it has a divider, and set the divider so he has just enough room to turn around and lie down. make sure it doesn’t start out smelling like urine, too.
to clean up your house and any of his stuff, use an enzyme cleaner. Nature’s Miracle can help – we found some success with it – and it’s available at Petsmart/Petco.
if he’s eliminating during the day, can someone come home around lunchtime? if you can’t come home, can you hire a dog walker to let him out, or maybe a trusted neighbor? that really would help a great deal.
Yep, you are training your sweet puppy to pee and poop in your house when you use pee pads. Follow the directions below to house train your pup, and sleep in sweats or something like that so you can pop up in the middle of the night and take that puppy outside if he starts indicating he needs to pee (he should be sleeping in a crate that is small enough that he does not want to pee in it). I sleep in sweats with slip on shoes beside the door for all my dogs until they are 6 months old.
I have a 11 year old Scottie that was taught to pee on pads in the bathroom when he was a puppy, (before I got him at 6 months old) and to this day when it is cold or rainy at night he will go into the bathroom and use the bath mat instead of going out the doggie door which is 4 feet away. If you teach them to use a pee pad you will struggle with the results the rest of his life.
Fight the good fight!
Basics of potty training: 1. you need a crate – you can get a large crate that will hold his adult size but has a divider so you can make it small for him now. He should only be able to sit up and lay out flat in his crate, no more room than that. Or get a small crate now, and a larger crate as he grows (keep the small crate for the next puppy, or sell it on Craigs List).
2. When you are not watching him he is in the crate.
3. When he comes out of the crate he goes outside — does not pass go, does not pick up a ball…right outside until he pees and maybe poops (depending on time of day). When he does his business it make it rain treats, jump or joy, and laugh! Then play with him outside for a few mins so he connects being outdoors and peeing outdoors with fun and games.
4. He is allowed back into the house and the freedom to explore as long as you can watch him to make sure he doesn’t have an accident. You might want to tie him to you (leash) while you move through the house, just so you know what he is doing and he can’t disappear and have an accident while you are cooking or such.
Remember: He goes back outside after a meal (eating = bowel movement about 15 to 20 after a meal)
He goes back outside after active playing (exercise and excitement = pee and/or a bowel movement).
He goes outside right before getting into his crate for the night, and don’t give him water after he pees so he can make it through the night.
During the times he is out of the crate, take him outside every hour or so and give him a command to pee (do your business, get busy, …)
Sleep in something that you are not embarrassed to wear outside in the middle of the night so you can jump up and take him outside if he whines or stirs around in his crate in the middle of the night.
My puppy is a male husky/chow mix who is 5 months old.
we feed green beans as treats quite frequently. dogs don’t really need additional vegetables, though, and whole earth is a good food. what makes you want to supplement?
I’d be more concerned about whether it is a puppy formula rather than whether it’s a grain-free formula. Particularly with a larger breed such as a Husky. I am not really sold on “all life stages” type of food.
Otherwise, looking at their grain-free recipe; grain-free doesn’t really mean low carb; this one has plenty of carbs; the protein content is only slightly higher than most and most go with bare minimum.
The food is formulated to AAFCO standards; so technically, as most vets assert (though I don’t agree) ingredients don’t matter, only nutrients matter. So from that perspective grain-free or not would be irrelevant.
To summarize, I’d recommend finding a food that is formulated for large breed puppies. I’m happy with grain-free formula when it meets that requirement.
As for other foods, certain veggies can be added in moderation just fine, if he likes them and, as Dr. Krista mentioned overall calorie intake is satisfied. Other safe “human foods” for treats are fine – much better than dog bisquits or other dog treats. Even though that do throw off the balance, so do any other treats out there (no treats I know of are formulated to AAFCO standards) and wholesome fresh foods are safer and healthier in terms of treats.
I use fruit for treats (no raisins!), and if I am chopping vegetables for myself I offer pieces as treats while we are in the kitchen. Other than that, I don’t routinely add fruits and vegetables to the raw diet I feed my boys. They are allowed to graze my yard and they eat dandelions (greens & flowers), some flowers (quince most often when it is in bloom), and most anything they can get in the vegetable garden including tomatoes, squash, raspberries, and blueberries.
I do add raw meat & raw bones to my foster’s diet — they get a grain-free kibble with raw meat and raw bones added to help keep teeth clean (raw bones) and add top quality protein. For example, they get their kibble and a duck wing, or an organically raised chicken wing (no hormones) or ribs/frames. Some times I add some canned Jack Mackerel to the kibble for Omegas, or a poached egg – about once per week.
As your pup gets older you can use things with larger bones (hormone free chicken legs, backs, etc.) but I would wait until he is over a year old before I start feeding these larger bones.
I researched dog foods that were available in the area I live that would be both good for my dog but without costing an arm and a leg. I came across whole earth brand when the vet I took my puppy to for his first visit recommended it. Of course as a new puppy mom I researched it like crazy before buying it for my baby http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/whole-earth-farms-grain-free/ this is an independent website that breaks down each and every ingredient in the dog food and gives the benefits of the good stuff and the bad stuff that is hidden in the ingredient list. I am not concerned with the type of food I am feeding him, but in my research I have seen multiple articles stating the benefits of dogs have added nutrients to their diet that they cannot get from dog food alone. We alone cannot get everything we need from eating the same meal over and over again so naturally this made sense when talking in regards to the health of my puppy. I simply wanted to know from other pet parents which fruits and vegetables they have seen that have been good to add to their dogs diet.
Is there any home remedies or any other way I can treat my three month old puppy with after he ate half or less than half of a 10 mg baclofen pill?
Our 8 week old puppy had a diet change this morning from dry food to wet food for the first time. She has full energy and there has been no change in mood but she has been urinating more than usual, is this normal?
Thanks Krista, I will get her to the vet’s.
My 6 month pug puppy diagnosed with hip dysplasia. The vet has said with rest this should correct itself in next 6 month but everything iv said says this is not the case!! Advice needed ….do I need a second opiniom???
His xrays showed hip dysplasia but told to rest him (very hard when he is an excitable crazy pup). But reading on treatment options there’s a number that can only be done before arthritic changes begin to show or under 1 year of age…..by time he goes for next xrays he will be over a year!! I feel like will be offending the vet if I ask for a referral
Hi Amy,
I’d like to share something that was suggested to me here and did wonders. Keep reminding yourself that you, your puppy and your vet are on the same team! Show your vet and the staff that you are grateful, it could be something small like simply smiling and saying thank you, a helium balloon with some chocolates or anything small to show your appreciation will go a very long way.
I think that step would help the vet not to feel offended and instead be part of the follow ups.
Its never bad to have a second opinion 🙂
Warm wishes to you and your puppy,
Caroline
Hi I have a 5 mouth old puppy
German Shepard cross husky boy
When there is food left around he turns on us expessiy my 6 year old son he has biten my son hand before over food of course we feed our dog enough food and water
Amy, this is resource guarding and it is a strong instinct in some dogs — and has nothing to do with the amount of food or water the dog receives. You MUST go find a trainer (or 2, 3, 4). Yes, start with your vet’s recommendations, but don’t stop there. Find a local dog club and ask them for recommendations for a trainer that uses “positive reinforcement” techniques only. Any other kind of training will lead to more problems as the dog gets older. And the first trainer you try may not be the right trainer for your family, and your dog — so that is why you need to keep on going until you find the trainer that will really work for you, your son, and your dog.
Be sure your children are involved in the training of the dog. Find a trainer that will also work with your son. A 6 year old will not be responsible for training the dog, but he has to understand what not to do, and how to behave with the pup.
In the mean time – LEAVE NOTHING IN THE DOG’S REACH THAT CAN BE GUARDED! This means no food left around. Your son can not walk around with a cookie, a juice box, etc. No bags of chips left on coffee tables. If he has nothing to hoard/guard, he won’t be biting. In all likelihood if you don’t learn how to work with your puppy to reverse this behavior now he will start guarding other things — toys, his bed, his favorite place on the sofa, etc. And be sure to have him neutered when he turns 6 months old – you will avoid another whole set of problems if you do this.
It took me 18 months and 4 trainers to finally have a dog that wasn’t biting me or my husband when he disagreed about who should be on the bed at night. But once we understood each other, I had 12 years with the best dog in the world. Truly.
This puppy is the last of a large litter, he was one of the only ones who would keep a clean crate/puppy pen. When the ground froze he discovered the practice of eating poo when he was outside in our fenced in yard. He was neutered a week and a half ago and we thought it would be an opportune time to remedy the poo eating issue since we had to leash walk him. He now refuses to poo outside, we do take him out every 1-2 hours and give a high value treat for pottying outside. He will go in his crate immediately after coming in and will immediately eat it. It almost seems that since I won’t allow him to eat what is in the yard he is just going to make his own snack. I will add that he is a very quick learner, he learned sit and down in an evening. He is very driven by treats and praise. He will urinate outside and looks to me for a treat and praise as he is going. He does not like to be in a messy crate, we know almost the moment it is soiled as he barks/whines and we clean it up. He will only poo in his crate, I do tether housetraining pups to me to eliminate the possibility of accidents (I try to set them up for success) and he has not accidents in the house. He will poo in his crate once I have exited the room where his crate is. I of course can smell the moment he goes, I run in the room and catch him eating it. I have gone as far as letting him out to potty in a pen thinking maybe he does not want to potty with an audience, I watch from a nearby slider but have only “caught” him pooing outside twice in a week and a half, both times I was able to deliver praise and a high value treat as soon as he was done. Lastly his crate is appropriately sized for him, it is a wire folding style crate that is just tall enough for him, he has enough room to lay, stretch out and turn around. This is something I would like to rectify as I know it will be a potential problem in a forever home.
Your puppy is just being a ……puppy! Sometimes the art of pet parenting is like the TV show Survivor–Outwit, Outsmart, Outlast.
Be diligent in cleaning up after your puppy poo’s. Do not give him the chance to play with or eat poo. Try placing the puppy on a leash when you take him outside to relieve himself, and do not allow him to inspect his poo. Distract him from by calling him to you, and when he responds appropriately, reward him with a treat and verbal encouragement (go crazy and act like he is the BEST PUPPY ON THE PLANET!) and then take him inside before you go back to pick it up.
If he hates poo’ing on the leash this is where the “Outlast” portion of the program comes into play. You just have to wander around the yard with him until he does it.
Some have found that adding meat tenderizer or natural additives to the puppy’s food makes a big difference, since these additives cause the stool to have a particularly unappealing smell that will discourage him from eating it. If you cannot immediately clean up the stool, or if there are some old stool piles in your yard, you can spray it with hot pepper sauce or mouth wash. It is more effective to just clean up after the puppy.
A good resource for puppy training is The Complete Idiots Guide to Dog Training. You can check it out of your local library. Good luck!!
Walking helps the bowels move. How about taking him on a walk when he comes out of his crate, and after he eats his meals. The walking will get him eliminating and you will have him on a leash to control his movements while you pick up the poop. This may work faster/better than turning him out in the yard and waiting, or wandering around the yard while he decides if he is going to poop or not.
It may also be so exciting to be out and about that he forgets he wants to poop inside where he can snack.
Good luck!
Thank you for the suggestions. I actually had given more info in the details when I posted that I am doing all of these. This isn’t a typical housebreaking issue but more of a compulsion to eat stool. The issue of eliminating in his crate began AFTER I restricted him from eating poo outside. In the past year alone I have fostered 30 puppies, all were well on their way to being housetrained when they were adopted. As a board member of a local rescue and seasoned foster I provide support to adoptive families on the subject of house training. My approach to house training is to set a dog up for success eliminating the possibility for accidents and rewarding appropriate elimination. I vary my method according to the dog as not all dogs respond to the same method. I have had great success with training dogs who have come from horrendous living conditions, spending months in their own waste.
There are products out there to make the poo taste bad and most of them (I believe) have the main ingredient of MSG, which is the same thing as meat tenderizer. Dr. Foster and Smith has a product called Dis-Taste, but I’m sure there are others. If a dose of MSG isn’t harmful, give it a shot!
Hello Jennifer. My Great Dane did this and then my Golden Retriever starting doing it. Learned behavior? I agree with Dr. Mag’s suggestions. I taught the leave it command and do not leave them unattended when it is ‘potty time.’ I tried to read a lot of remedies for this issue. What I found was mixed reviews on the food additives to deter the poop eating. I read about nutritional deficits and remedies. What I read and think was going on with mine was most dogs like to keep their play and living areas clean. Sometimes when a mother has a new litter, she will demonstrate this issue to keep the area clean for her pups. I too have a fenced in back yard which doubles as their play area when I cannot take them out in the unfenced area. I taught the leave it command and keep the area clean of feces. Somehow, imo, your dog has associated the crate pooping as safe but then cleans the area since it is his ‘safe spot.’ It took a few weeks to dissuade my dogs from doing this. Still, if I am not diligent about watching over them and keeping the area clean, the issue will persist. Your reaction whether positive or negative outside, may be influencing what the dog believes to be ok so he returns to his ‘safe’ area and only poops when he thinks you are not paying attention (because of your reactoin?) then gobbles the tasty morsel up for maybe cleaning? I found with my dogs when there is an unwanted behavior/issue the best reaction is no reaction. Remember, running to the crate to stop him may be interpreted as him doing something wrong so he tries to ‘destroy’ the evidence. It is learned somehow.
An anecdote. My very sensitive Great Dane when she was young had what I perceived to be separation anxiety when my wife and I would leave. We would come home and rugs would be chewed, pillows destroyed, etc. I would come in and immediately react, negatively. I posted on here and in short, the response was it was my fault. I was at first offended thinking I was a great doggy parent, but then I thought about it. My Dane associated our leaving with her getting negatively in trouble when we came home. This caused her great stress and her acting out was a reaction to fear and anticipation. I quickly changed my behavior. When I came home I would simply clean up what was destroyed and before leaving I would remove anything I could. I did not react. She would cower in her chair while I cleaned. I simply went about my business without noticing her. When I was done, once she came out of her chair, I acknowledged her and said hello. It was my responsibility to break the association, not the behavior. It took a little time, but we became successful. Now when we leave, we make it no big deal. When we come home, it is not a big deal. She isn’t afraid of us leaving and her ‘just’ getting in trouble when we come home. We no longer come home to destroyed items or a fearful dog. I personified her hiding in her chair with her knowing she did something wrong. Nope. I taught her that when we come home I would yell at her so she anticipated that with great stress and fear.
Maybe, without knowing it, we teach our dogs to do negative things. The hard part is realizing and accepting it then correcting OUR behavior.
Good Luck!!!
” The issue of eliminating in his crate began AFTER I restricted him from eating poo outside.” Maybe he learned it is not ok to poop outside?
https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10647204_839657176087105_2456687624360280273_n.jpg?oh=850b8159bd852e9258a1ed4e05875d7e&oe=55C28412
Thank you, I usually do overreact to anything to do with their health. Her baby is hypoglycemic and the vet I took her to was so uneducated that I knew more than he did about he condition, unfortunately. I know I can pay for one visit at least, but if it is serious im scared it may get too costly. I go crazy when there is something wrong. I’ve never given a thought to giving them away before.