GeorgeofNE

Most dogs need to walk a bit before they'll poop. Here is my "I've never had a yard and been leash walking for 17 years" schedule 1) Quick pee break as soon as I wake up Coffee for me, breakfast for the dog 2) 30 minute walk I go to work and do not return for 9 hours 3) Quick pee break, and sometimes he will also poop Dinner for the dog, and a chewy bone. 4) One hour after dinner, a short walk. He usually poops again at this time 5) Last outs before bedtime is a short pee break Now, bear in mind my dog is NOT a dog who needs a walk to get pooping--but the timing of meals and walks is important. He will PROBABLY pretty consistently have to poop after each meal. I'd go along with confining the dogs to one room at night. And also, stairs are not that big an obstacle. You can teach him that in an hour, specially if there are two people in the house! Good luck!

Just my 2 cents, but I think you should go with your gut. Dogs cannot understand "I'm trying to buy you time." All he will know is the misery of the treatment. It's a deeply personal decision, but I always go with my gut in these sorts of situations.

The only time you actually SHOULD give your dog yogurt is while it's on antibiotics (it's OK to do it, but some people seem to think it's necessary). The "good" bacteria in the yogurt helps prevent urinary tract issues.

Kennel cough is not a big deal. It's super contagious, but easily cured!

I'm guessing they said "interdigit cysts." Does she have flat spots that are hard on her paw pads, or lumps between her toes? That's a pit bull mix of some sort. She's darling, but I see no evidence whatsoever of sighthound. Best dog I ever had was a pit bull mix! Smart as a whip, loyal, brave, and strong as an ox!

She is very, very old, and has kidney disease is what's going on. There's no easy way to say it--she probably doesn't have a lot of time left, and as Lori said, let her eat whatever she wants. Enjoy every day and love on her!

And when people say "don't exercise" before or after feeding, they don't mean you can't walk your dog or let it out in the yard. For what it's worth, my family lost a dog to bloat. An enormous Labrador. We did nothing wrong--it just happened. It was horrible and sad, but I've always said that Josh died the way he lived--full speed ahead. He was fine one minute, and a couple of hours later he was gone (euthanized at the vet at their recommendation after opening him up and seeing the terrible damage).

Exactly! Why would my vet deliberately kill my cat, thus depriving her of a patient!

I've had several cats given Convenia. When it's a choice between an injectable or me being shredded, I go with injectable every time. Ralworth, you really need to back up your assertions with some hard data. I refuse to believe that my vet would use a drug as "deadly" as you claim. 70% death rate??? And you seriously are suggesting that our "corrupt" vets would use it anyway?? And kill their own patients?

Is it a patio, or a balcony? I had my George for 7 years. He had bladder problems on and off for 7 years. He would have died before he would pee on my balcony. If you're already planning on "emergencies" that keep you from getting home after work, I would suggest you look into a dog walking service. You sound like me--single condo dweller. I have made it perfectly clear to my employer that no work "emergency" trumps my dog's needs!

Really? The vet wants to to chiropractic and accupuncture WITHOUT doing any x-rays? Seems rather like going in blind to me.

They just call it the senior panel where I go.

Did your wife even want a dog? Because it seems as if she only cares about the cats. Since clearly these cats and this dog are not really getting alone very well, it's possible it's just not a good match. I'm on my second hound in a multi cat household. In neither case was there ever any hissing, chasing, spitting, etc. My cats are used to dogs, and my groups chose well when I told them the dog had to be cat safe.

If the dog has no symptoms of any issue, I wouldn't make too much of this. He could have just been tense.

This is the time of year when my first dog as an adult got allergies. Normal hair loss from a collar would not normally itch like that obviously does, so I'm suggesting seasonal allegies. The vet will probably have you try an antihistamine to see if the itching stops.

To the OP--Don't know where you go​t the idea that racers don't get much handling or social interaction. Virtually ALL of the dogs (except puppies and "ooops" dogs) on this board are retired racers. Many of us have human friends actively involved in breeding/training/racing, and I assure you that these people, without exception, love their dogs very much. Racers are handled constantly. They have social interaction daily, with multiple people in all sorts of ways. Just had to toss that out there! And I agree--the growl is a warning. Never punish a dog for warning you. Next time they might not bother.

Kudos to Greysmom for putting into words exactly what I was thinking!!

Why are you feeding him green beans? Buck is a healthy, happy, bouncy 4 year old, and he gets ONE cup of kibble in the AM, a large milk bone when I leave for work, ONE cup of kibble in the PM (each time with warm water added) and a large milk bone after last outs. Granted, Buck is on the small side. I think the 3 cups of kibble and the wet food sounds like plenty of food. While you're saying "3 cups in," it's not 3 cups in. It's 3 cups of kibbles, beans, and wet food. As someone else suggested, try cutting out one thing at a time to see if there is something causing him to poop so much.

Muzzle. And a LOT more exercise in the morning. A tired dog sleeps when you're gone. A dog who is bored and restless chews stuff.

Seriously? Your vet said he'd have to sedate your dog to do a culture of that? Wow. I think I'd be looking for a new vet. Yours is apparently afraid of dogs. Or doesn't know how to make a gauze muzzle to prevent a "reactive" dog from biting. My gut reaction at the picture was ringworm.

Why not just SKIP the fabric softener entirely? I assume you wash the dog's laundry separately? I don't think it's actually good for your fabrics anyway. Just more money into the pockets of the people whose job it is to convince us we NEED fabric softener!

Read the policy carefully. Around here, $500 on vet bills is very easy to hit even on a fairly routine illness or injury.

She probably needs a ton more exercise than she's getting. I am just imagining that your wife has her hands full, as all mom's seem to, just dealing with kids and other important things. Perhaps when you get home from work you can take the dog on a LONG walk, or take her out in the yard with a lure pole and wear her out? A sleepy dog sleeps at night. A puppy with excess energy does not. Attention is not the same as exercise. The dog will likely never enjoy sleeping alone. She may eventually give up the barking, but she's lonely and unhappy. The more attached to you she gets the more she'll want to be with you. It's the nature of dogs. The cats will probably get used to the dog eventually. I know that I had three cats when I had my first greyhound and they all did fine after a while. Perhaps as a temporary measure you might consider just removing one piece of furniture from your bedroom and putting the crate in there? I had a very small bedroom once, so I get how hard it can be. I ended up replacing my bedside table with the crate and putting a baking sheet on top of the crate to hold my lamp and stuff!

I'm sure you already know that even a dog who is 100% reliable with cats INSIDE may not necessarily be trustworthy with a cat outside. Like both my first and current hounds! Just in case you DIDN'T know this! Good luck.

As you may or may not recall, my George had mysterious, never ending urinary issues. I ended up using a waterproof mattress cover, for one, and also using a hospital bed pad on the part of the bed he slept on. Saved my sanity since the thousands of dollars I spent at the vet didn't seem to do much good!