Hawthorn

Sending best wishes and positive thoughts to Lazer and you - hope all goes well Thursday .

Maybe he's just trying to tell you that he'd like longer or more interesting or more varied walks? Mine are happy with a 20-30 minute walk most days, and a longer walk with the opportunity to be off-lead once a week or so, but they're older, and anyway they are all different as to the length and type of walk they prefer. Mine also prefer to go the same route every day and look at me as if I'm mad if I want to go a different route but, again, they are all different and maybe your boy would like more variety? Has he got a lot of energy? Is he generally a curious dog? He's certainly trying to tell you something, that's for sure, but it can sometimes take a while to work out what it is - if only they could talk . I wouldn't necessarily view it as a "bad habit" though, more as him trying to communicate something to you - less frustration and more enlightenment that way! Also, is there any reason you can think of why he wouldn't want to go home? Do you go out and leave him when he goes back home? Or shut him in a crate? Or something else he doesn't like?

I would tend to think she would be sensitive to eggs if she's sensitive to chicken. I get myself tested regularly for food sensitivities and if I test sensitive to cow's milk, I always test as sensitive to beef as well, even though I haven't eaten beef for 30 years. Makes sense to me, as it's the same animal, but I don't know if it always works this way.

My boy has SLO and has lost a lot of nails. I do pretty much the same as you're doing, except that I also get some antiobiotics from the vet for about a week, mainly because I'm a worrier and I know how nasty toe infections can get. I've found that they are usually much less sensitive after about a week, and take several months to grow back completely.

I've never used crates. For feeding, their bowls are about 6 feet apart and I always stand between them to supervise but have never had any problems. For really high value long-lasting treats, I would babygate them in separate rooms, but this isn't necessary for normal treats. We have a total of four babygates in the house (very secure extra tall ones that are screwed into the door frames) and we have a choice of three different rooms that they can be babygated into in the event of workmen in the house etc. Plus one of us always stays in the room with the dogs, as I don't trust workmen not to open babygates etc.

You can still use the brown rice as long as you overcook it and then put it through a blender until it's smooth - they can digest it that way .

I don't want to worry you unduly, and I may be way off the mark, but eating from one side only of the bowl can be a sign of a stroke. My boy did this a year ago when he had what the neurologist believed was a brain stem TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack). His eyesight in one eye was also affected, which made him confused and unsure of himself. He did make a full recovery from this after about a week. One thing you should know is that if it was a TIA, it can be a warning of a more serious stroke to come, so you may want to discuss with your vet (or neurologist) whether there is anything you need to be doing or checking to prevent a stroke: checking for high blood pressure, for example.

I'm so sorry for your loss of beautiful Kelsey .

I'm so very sorry to hear that Gus has gone - his story has to be one of the most touching and memorable ones I've read on GT. Please try not to be too hard on yourself. Grief does strange things to people and I hope that time will bring you a kinder perspective. Rest in peace, Gus, and to your grieving dad.

My feeling is that it's the increased walking that, for whatever reason, is too much for him. He's not old, but he's not young either, and maybe the extra exercise is causing him aches and pains or muscle stiffness, or maybe he just finds it boring. Speaking as someone who is middle-aged myself, I can say I that I get all sorts of aches and pains from doing things that I used to take for granted when I was younger, and that it takes me longer to recover from activity than it used to. Maybe he'd do better with the longer hikes every other day, or twice a week? Mine are the same age (just turned 8)and 20 minutes is plenty for them on a regular basis, with a longer walk (up to an hour) maybe once a week. Is he still keen on coming with you for walks when you leave home, or does he seem a bit reluctant?

You can also use D-Mannose powder - works in a similar way to Cranberry but without the acidic qualities. Does Jayne get plenty of water in her kibble?

TBH I thought there was a good chance you were already giving something similar to Lazer as I know he's on a very comprehensive regime of natural supplements, but thought I'd mention it anyway as not many people seem to be aware of these enzymes, here in the UK anyway. Continued good wishes to you and the amazing Lazer!

Nice update and pictures - glad to hear he is doing so well! Just a thought, but have you/your vets considered Serrapeptase for Lazer (or perhaps he is already taking it)? One of mine takes it as an anti-inflammatory, but it's also said to dissolve blood clots. They make one for pets called Serrapet. For some reason I can't seem to add links to the relevant websites but there's plenty of information online.

Burns is a very good food IMO, if you don't have any objection to feeding grains. One of mine is on it as she needs a low fat and lowish protein food. The only thing with Burns is that it is low in calories compared to other kibbles and I find the recommended feeding amounts on the bag to be on the skimpy side, so don't be surprised if you need to feed more than it says to keep Peggy's weight up. My Sophie loves it. She has a Burns pouch for breakfast and kibble for lunch and dinner, but I do add things in to the kibble to make it more interesting (chicken, extra-lean beef mince, a little liver, veggies, sardines, tuna, sweet potatoes etc) as I do think it's a little bland. Neither of mine like yoghurt mixed in with their kibble, but love a spoonful afterwards. Another brand I trust is James Wellbeloved, who also do grain-free options. Mine both love Orijen, but it's high in protein and fat and didn't agree with one of mine so I no longer feed it. At the end of the day, they are all different and you may need to try a few before you find one that suits Peggy. Good luck - Peggy is very pretty!

I see no problem with this at all, at least for me and my dogs. Sophie occasionally puts her jaws around my chin and I consider it a compliment - a sign of deep affection and trust. She never does this with DH. Sunny will put his mouth around my and DH's hands when we come home and for such a big, boisterous, clumsy boy I'm always amazed at how extremely gentle he is. I wouldn't call it playing though - it's more of a greeting/affection/"I'm SO pleased to see you!" thing. As KR says, I really can't imagine them doing it to anyone other than their immediate family. I've been bitten in the face too - many years ago and it was totally my own fault and completely different circumstances - but I don't see what that's got to do with it. I don't follow the logic that if I allow my dog to give me a gentle greeting with his teeth he might one day think that means it's OK to bite me. Or conversely, that if I never allow my dog to put his teeth on me even in affection that he would never bite me if the circumstances were right. Totally different things IMO.

I knew a greyhound who had similar issues with his third eyelids and it eventually turned out he was hypothyroid and the eye issues resolved once he was on medication. Just wanted to throw this into the mix as a possibility.

I can hardly believe it and just don't know what to say . Robin is the same age as my two. I am so very sorry and know how devastated you must be feeling. Robin has always been one of my GT favourites too. Again, I am so sorry and send my sympathy to you all. Rest in peace big, beautiful Robin .

Sending good thoughts - hope Spriet continues to improve.

In Hillary's case it seems fairly certain that there is a link between the lure-coursing and her new interest in anything that moves. This is one of several reasons why I don't take mine lure-coursing: one of them has little interest in chasing and I want to keep it that way; the other has a medium chase instinct and I don't want to encourage it any further. I'd rather find safe places for mine to run off-leash and teach them to chase me via recall training. I don't actively discourage mine from chasing squirrels/rabbits if they're in a safe environment, as they do enjoy it and both will happily recall from chasing, but I wouldn't want to do anything which might actively encourage it either. I'm not saying that no-one should take their hound lure-coursing, though, as I think it's another one of those areas where everyone has to weigh up all the pros and cons in their own case.

Mine have always preferred to sleep with me in the bedroom - either on my bed or on one of the three dog beds. Maybe the orthopedic bed isn't very comfortable - some of them can be too firm?

So sorry ...

So sorry ...

Happy birthday beautiful girl.

Wondering what the time frame is for this type of growth? Oliver had one that grew and fell off while I was out of town for a week. Vet checked what was left and said it was nothing to worry about. It is back now, have a vet's appt. set up for next week due to another issue, will it most likely fall off before that. If it is removed will that stop it from reoccurring? My memory's a little hazy on this now, as we haven't had any for a couple of years now, but I think it would take about 2-3 weeks for the blood blister to grow, burst, form a scab and then fall off, and then there would be a space of a few days before the new blood blister would start to form. You can always take a photo of the growth to show your vet. I did, and the vet sent it to a dermatologist to get a second opinion. Sophie's growth was removed and has never recurred, but I do keep an eye on that spot just in case. Her brother had one removed too and that also has not returned. But these were the non-cancerous version: cutaneous hemangioma, and not the cancerous version: cutaneous hemangiosarcoma.

Thanks so much for explaining how you came to use the oils - I've wondered about this ever since I first read about Lazer back when it first happened. How astonishing that you should have met Debbie just when you needed her - I love stories that involve serendipity! I wish you and Lazer many more happy times together.