Zachary
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Posts posted by Zachary
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There are a number of training techniques you can use to help with prey drive. Positive interrupters are an ideal method to curtail most unwanted behaviors in a positive manner.
Obviously avoidance is the ideal method to deal with prey drive, fear, or aggressive situations but that is not always possible. Squirrels happen! Situational awareness is key and that is where distraction can help. Be it changing sides of the street, blocking the dogs view of the “offending” stimuli (parked cars are great for this), a game of “touch” or a quick change of direction all can help manage unwanted behavior. These training techniques are easy to learn, but require dedication and consistency. Training is a life-long commitment, but not a particularly time-consuming one. Three to five minutes several times a day to begin and then less as time goes on. Treats are a great motivator. Jackpot treating for a session well done is never a bad thing!
With Me Training is demonstrated in these videos. With me also works brilliantly for dogs that pull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hac_ixNHri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCOHMX4qjVQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-szHo91oGg
Leave It Training. This trainer is combining leave it and with me to great advantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pgtnmpwU5c
Touch Training is demonstrated in this video.
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Interesting article from Animal Wellness Magazine suggesting the potential healing benefits of adaptogenic herbs for canine stressors, both emotional and physical , including chronic illnesses.
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I don't know if this would be available for dogs, but a condom catheter could help. If Jake is showing signs of irritation from laying in the urine, you might want to use a barrier cream or diaper cream to ease the irritation.
Hugs to everyone. Hope Jake is feeling less grouchy and groggy and more his own self today.
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Wishing Jake and his humans an easy, uneventful and fast recovery.
This link is to a very interesting article on adaptogenic herbs that have myriad benefits for dogs under stress for varying conditions; injury and healing, old age, and, remarkably, cancer.
http://animalwellnessmagazine.com/herbs-for-stress/
I can speak to the effectiveness and safety of rhodiola in humans. -
I am so very sorry. Sweet Percy deserves so much better than this. Damn this disease.
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What has worked for Gilly is me being very aware of any other dogs in the area and alerting him to their presence before he can get worked up. We will cross the street or change directions to keep a comfortable distance between the dogs.
In a very cheery voice I also assure him everything is fine and all is good. I sometimes point out something about the other dog: i.e. ‘oh look at the cute coat that puppy is wearing’ or something equally silly. When he doesn’t react I generally say ‘easy peasy, slice of (insert changing names of) cheesie!). I also treat and praise him liberally for not reacting. Gilly has gone from a whirling, barking, lunging dervish at the mere sight of one dog to being able to tolerate multiple sightings in a long walk.
I try to keep the leash loose and not telegraph my concerns to him — the keeping my feelings to myself was the hardest. The more relaxed he is the more relaxed I am and vice versa, so it becomes a win-win situation.
Also try not to let your pup stare for more than 3 seconds. It gives the dog a chance to see what is up but not the plan world domination! Look at me or touch are good distractions, or even placing yourself to block the sight line.
As a friend of mine who is a trainer says “patience, praise, and practice”. -
Ducky,
So sorry Percy is going through such a frightening health issue. I understand why you are concerned about the use of anesthetic and especially bleeding. Have you ever heard of Domitor? It is a reversible sedation that might be useful in this situation. http://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/library/prescription/medetomidine-domitor
This is a two injection medication. The first injection sedates the dog and the second will bring them around. There are precautions regarding protecting the dogs eyes because they remain open while the dog is under. Also it is suggested the treatment room be kept very quiet to keep the animal calm as well.
Hugs to you and Percy.
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The rawhide bone would be considered a very high-value treat by any self-respecting dog. She was guarding something very special, something different from her everyday food. She can be fine with your hand by her everyday food bowl because that is no big deal, that comes every day. More than likely she will relax once she realizes she can trust you and hopefully receives these great treats on a regular basis. Give the adorable Maisie time, you have only had her for a month, she is learning the ways of the world.
There is information on 'trading up' in case you ever do have to take something away from her. Essentially it is offering something even more enticing to the dog to trade for what you want or need to get away from him or her.
My first Greyhound reacted the same way when I gave him a meaty bone -- only he growled when I merely walked by the room he was in! He quickly learned that good things weren't a one time only deal and after receiving several high-value treats he relaxed.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Greyhounds.
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Ducky,
Please add Fox, a beautiful and very much loved 12-year-old Blue Heeler who received her wings February 7, 2016. Thank you.
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When Gilly was finally diagnosed with hookworms the instructions were treat for three days and off for two weeks. We repeated this regimen for four cycles.
You probably know this, but worth repeating. Try not to let the feces hit the ground as it can become infected rapidly. Try to catch the poop mid air.
Good luck!
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Gilly had the same problem, but he managed to hoard ten pieces of sand and gravel in his paw! He took about six weeks to heal but the wound was very deep -- almost to the bone. Our vet explained that it would take time to heal because the wound heals from the inside to the outside. I kept his foot bandaged and booted for probably four to five weeks. Thought he was all healed but, like your pup, he managed to get one more piece of material in the same wound. Fortunately the vet was able to scrape this piece out easily, unlike the six x-ray and two hour surgery from the previous collection.
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My pup Gilly was going through similar episodes for almost a year despite being tested for worms. Gilly has always been fed a raw diet, but I changed suppliers with no improvement; I then changed from a mix of beef and chicken to straight chicken for a couple of weeks -- no joy; changed to a couple of weeks of straight beef, again no joy. And then, cue the heavenly music, I came across this thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/313341-larval-leak-syndrome-hookworms/ and after specialized OPP testing, and 8 weeks of treatment with Panacur and retesting for hookworms problem solved. This syndrome is also known as larval migrans.
Best of luck to you and your pup, this is so very frustrating.
Also, just in case Wasabi does have worms, catching his stool in a bag before it hits the ground is recommended. Think baseball catcher stance!
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Very good information in this thread regarding hook worms, treatment, and why they sometimes come back after treatment.
http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/313341-larval-leak-syndrome-hookworms/
This is also known as larval migrans.
You may want to use a baseball catcher's stance and catch his stool in a bag before it hits the ground. Hooks spread very easily to other dogs.
Good luck, they are so frustrating to treat.
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Done. In memory of my beloved Zachary.
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Rest in peace, Mike, and thank you for your service.
Who in their right mind carries a gun when they are out cycling? I agree with Mike's human, the situation seems very suspicious.
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One more question to those whose pups have had hookworms. Did your pups ever growl for no apparent reason? Gilly and I can be sitting together and all of a sudden he will start growling and nothing has happened or changed and I am not even touching him.
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Yeah, that was our biggest symptom. I was feeding her more than my 70 lb male (she's about 60 lbs) and she wouldn't gain weight. When we did the 2 rounds of Panacur that stopped and I now have no problems keeping her at a good weight. I should add that she has had some anxiety issues, which can also increase metabolism and lead to a dog being a hard keeper so this is by no means definitive. Just reporting what I observed. In the end, I don't think I did her any great harm doing the Panacur and I might have helped. Hooks are nasty.
Gilly is the poster child for separation anxiety! We are pretty much always together. Always and generally everywhere! The couple of times I left him with a friend he displayed anxious behavior.
Again, thank you.
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Yes, and grass eating, though none of it was constant. I will add that she also had bad poop issues as a foster when she was kibble fed and raw addressed a lot of those, but it sounds like you've already switched to raw?
It's easy enough to dose with Panacur and see if there is improvement, but I would check with your vet to make sure he doesn't think it's a bad idea for the supposed IBS. Panacur is sold online more inexpensively as Safeguard. I dosed initially, then at 3 weeks (from start of first dose) and again at 3 months.
ETA: I just want to add that I think it's much better to get a dx if you can for a?couples of reasons. One, much better to know what you're dealing with. Two, these are chemicals we're putting into their bodies. For a long time I used only regular Heartguard because I try to limit them getting this kind of stuff, but with my suspicions and what I know about hooks now, I switched the girls to Heartguard Plus. You can always try a 3 day fecal to see if you can find any parasites that way first.
Yes to the intermittent grass eating and gas. The groaning is something relatively new and is what got me interested and involved in this thread. He has been fed raw since I adopted him in January. He was fine initially and then the bowel issues started. I thought it might be the mix of the food so I switched to another butcher, I also tried him on straight human-grade beef, then raw chicken and vegetables, and now beef and vegetables mixed with ground lamb with bone. He weighed 62 pounds when I adopted him and should have been getting 10 to 12 ounces of food twice a day. He is getting about 1 1/3 pounds twice a day or (2 2/3 pounds daily) and has not gained an appreciable amount of weight. He eats more than Zachary who weighed 77 pounds!
I will have another chat with his vet and see if this is a reasonable option. Like you, I am loathe to pump any chemicals into him unnecessarily, but if it is bugs . . . they have to go.
Thank you for your help and guidance. I really appreciated your input.
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Zachary, you can definitely get false negatives on worms. Repeated fecals are more likely to turn up a positive result or you can always treat up prophylactically. Violet had intermittent stool issues, loose, sometimes bloody, the big one was they would be super mucousy and she was a really hard keeper. Fecal was negative, but I finally decided to just do multiple rounds of Panacur and we haven't had a problem since. FWIW.
Heartguard Plus isn't likely to be sufficient to treat a hookworm infestation. It will prevent new adults from attaching in the intestine so a dog in theory doesn't become infected and I think any dog that had had hookworms should be on HG plus or similar because of the potential issues with cysts in other organs, but if a dog tests positive for hookworm they need a dewormer like Panacur or something similar to clear out the b infestation.
NeylasMom,
Thank you so much. You have described Gilly's stool exactly. Did Violet also have a really rumble and gurgley stomach? I swear sometimes he must wake up the neighbors with his tummy noises. His vet thinks IBS or colitis, but when I first adopted him there were no stool issues. Now I am afraid to allow him any variety in his meals or treats. I have had some little success with adding more bone to his diet and it helps with the loose stool.
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Gilly is displaying many of the symptoms mentioned here. He was checked for bugs and slugs and came up clean. Had anyone noticed the diarrhea being cyclical in nature? He can go for several weeks with well-formed poops and then for about a week they are pudding-like in consistency or even liquid. There has also been a show of blood in his stool during those times. Do hookworms show up in all samples or, again, is it cyclical?
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You could use this product when traveling. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/preference
It is a mixture of various dehydrated vegetables and fruits.
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And news from the vet: she has hookworms that explains it.
Always good to get an *easy* diagnosis. Glad it is nothing more serious and she will be on the mend.
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Sorry you are going through this, it certainly ranks right up there. Try adding a tablespoon or two of pure pumpkin puree to her food at each meal. Pumpkin treats either problem! You could also try adding bone meal to her food. That works quite well at bulking up stool as well.
Nature's Miracle works quite well. Good luck!
Enjoy your new pup and welcome to GT.
Not good with other dogs
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
This is an excellent article on dealing with this topic. I have been using the method to help with my dog, who experienced the same thing, and it does work -- it just takes time and patience. Good luck, their fear is heartbreaking.
https://www.rover.com/blog/my-dog-is-afraid-of-other-dogs-what-should-i-do/