HoundHeavenAZ

I don't encourage the whining by responding to him. If I do talk to him, he keeps the conversation going Mostly he just wants my attention and I am the one that decides when he gets that - NOT him! Be sure he knows that you are the one in charge. And yes, two months is a very short time. You will be amazed how different your hound is after you've shared a year together! Now let's see some pictures

Ditto on the patience. I have also found that when I hose my kids down before an evening walk (95 degrees or more), that it keeps their skin and hair in terrific shape. They are shiny and dandruff free until wintertime arrives again I don't supplement with oils but I do cook lots of healthy foods for them along with their kibble. An occasional meaty bone or chicken foot from time to time may help too

And the GSOD will probably give it away when he's in serious need I have a whiner too - he mutters and moans all the time, but when he REALLY means it, the whole neighborhood knows it! Congrats to you and Otis on this new chapter in your lives

Thank you for caring enough to find the courage to ask for advice here! As you can clearly see, folks here understand and love this breed and have lots of experience and good advice. Because I know how satisfying the love of from a hound can be, I am happy that you made the decision to keep your boy. One day soon you will find that the sometimes understated affection that these dogs exude, can magically touch your heart like no other Your very handsome boy sounds like many I've met, a bit unsure of his new environment and full of questions. You now get the privilege of teaching him how the world works and that at the end of the day he will ALWAYS have you to love him. Congratulations to you and please keep us updated with LOTS more pictures!

Our warmest thoughts are with you both...

It does sound as if it could have been a seizure. My vet always says that she doesn't get excited unless they last more than a minute or two and occur more than once or twice a month. I just lost my second seizure baby in June - after about 2 years of meds his liver gave up. His would not last long, but he was always very disoriented and afraid afterwards. I suspected that his vision was impaired too. I would try to not touch him because he might startle, but I would sit nearby and speak calmly to him through the event and as he came out of it. Eventually he would come to me or ask to go out. He would be stumbly for about 10 minutes usually and often pant and be very, very warm. Once I felt he was safe to handle, I might get him damp to help him cool off. His medicine made him quite thirsty so he would usually head right for his bowl or even his pool to cool off. Try not to be too concerned - I know how tough that is though. Perhaps a visit or a call to your vet on Monday would be advised. Try and recall any events, products, food etc. that he may have been exposed to so you can tell your vet. Both of my kids had tick borne diseases that contributed to their conditions. I am so sorry that you and your boy might be facing this, but know that you will get lots of good help and support here and that there are many dogs that respond well to treatment for seizures. We'll be thinking of you and hoping for a good resolution.

I LOVE my couplers! Our walks are for exercise, not sniffing so that probably makes it more practical. I have an adjustable coupler that allows up to 2+ feet per dog but I seldom adjust it past about 6 inches for each. I have walked males and yes, you do have to strategically maneuver to avoid anyone getting peed on. But again, we usually are not walking to find a place to pee. Shopping at Home Depot is so much better when I have a coupler instead of trying to handle leashes. We were there today with 4 hounds and two leashes. I sometimes have fosters and I like to put them on a coupler with a seasoned dog as it seems to help them to pick up the cues quicker. If I had to give up my couplers I would be very unhappy

This week's batch was about 7 pounds of chicken leg quarters, brown rice, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, green beans. I boned the chicken then cooked the rest in the broth and some water. Often I use butternut squash, carrots, apples, cranberries or what is on sale - 70/30 hamburger is our rotation meat usually. I mash the veggies since I've read that they don't absorb the nutrients as easily otherwise, but I keep the meat in nice chunks so they can pretend they are animals I also make cookies- tomorrow's batch will be boiled sweet potatoes, fried chicken livers, eggs and their ground shells, oatmeal. Hardly a hip bone to be found here

My Lima was always very intuitive about the people that she visited with when she was a therapy dog - good and bad, she could always detect the people to visit. I was just the driver - she was the navigator. WTG Frosty and WTG Willow - those pictures brought on the tears!

Lima was a Delta certified dog and we used to visit our local hospital and nursing homes. She was so very intuitive about people and could sense who needed her attention, and boy, could she work a crowd We used to make up little calling cards with goofy photos of her for different holidays and the visitors and staff loved collecting them. She was also the neutral dog for several certification test sessions and she enjoyed working in all capacities. She's been gone a year and I still bump into people that tell me how much they miss seeing her there

I have taught all my hounds to wait and it has been the most useful command of all. As I approach a door I pause, turn towards them and push the palm of my hand towards their face and then ( most important part!) give them a stern Voice of God "WAIT". If they continue to approach the door I will repeat it, and I may pause and lift a foot up behind me so they'll run into it - they don't like feet much Soon all I need to do is show them the hand when I approach a door and eventually they all just quit trying to go with me. This has prevented many dog tails and toes from being injured in doors, but best of all it helped my bridge girl when she suffered a stroke. She could not stand for 36 hours after her stroke and she wanted so bad to get up but I could tell her to wait and she understood that it was a temporary problem and that she knew she could trust me. She was a hospital therapy dog and I used the wait command many times when we visited patients to indicate that she should maintain her position or behavior for a short bit of time. She understood that it was always for a short time span and never challenged me on it. I was so glad that I had that taught it to her though for her recovery period- it relieved so much anxiety for her. I'm always surprised when friends bring their dogs over and they don't understand that I am supposed to go through doors BEFORE they do and almost knock me down trying to outrun me! Mine (fosters too) have all been taught that they need to wait for me to go first and then they should wait until I signal for them to proceed. I'm not stern with my dogs on much else, door manners are crucial for everyone's safety and the wait command works great for us. Lots of good advice from the experts for you here - best of luck

Hate 'em, hate 'em, HATE 'em!! I asked my vet about removing them when we do a dental and she said that it is just like an amputation once they are an adult. And it would be painful...so I just keep my fingers crossed that no one gets hurt. I would love to know why some dogs have them removed and some don't. Probably a financial consideration??

That is very encouraging to hear. I was told to cut back on the proteins too and boost up the carbs. I'm happy to hear that your girl is responding so well. Is she or was she on seizure meds too? Chip was on fluconazole until recently and is still on potassium bromide and pheno which we hope to start reducing (again) next week. He too had the bloated gut and had 27 cups of fluid drained out of the abdomen - clear fluid, which they tested and it was just from the liver not processing properly. Crazy high albumen as I remember but the only thing I clearly remember is the results of the bile acids test which were horrible. I found the lactulose online for $12 a pint. Thanks for the tip about splitting it up, I had read that it can cause gas and pudding poo and he sure doesn't need that. Thanks for the advice and info.

The product info describes that the dosage for large dogs 35 - 65 pounds is one tablet daily, 66- 120 pounds is two daily. My boy weighs 72 - 75 pounds usually so two per day it is. Chip had a bile test run recently and the consensus is that the liver is in very bad shape. This denamarin is our last ditch effort to help him, they also suggested that I get some Laculose or Enulose so I've been pricing it today as well. If you've had any experience with those I'd love to hear about it.

We've been researching for our first purchase of Denamarin and discovered that our vet sells it for about $80 for a 30 pack but we found it on Amazon for $53! Since we have to give two daily since my boy is over the 66 pound limit, every bit of cost cutting helps Just wanted to share in case anyone else uses this product.

A leash coupler is an essential piece of equipment for us and sounds like it would be for you too. I've walked five hounds easily many times but when we walk we're not out to see who can pee more often but instead to get some exercise and an adventure. I always remind the dogs know I am the one in charge and keep them near my side instead of in front of me. Anticipating their reactions is the trick - make sure you see the bunnies before they do Keep the sweet girl occupied and assured that she is loved and all will be well. So sorry for your loss.

Good thoughts of a happy, healthy Leah coming your way

We buy beef heart at the local Food City, a store that caters to the hispanic folks. I think we pay about $1.69 or so per pound and I haven't met a hound yet that doesn't simply devour it

Congratulations to you both! Just be calm and confident and your dog will catch on. Maybe you could sit on the steps for a few moments and let him just get used to them and the sounds and vibrations, only a few hounds will not respond to a treat. Pause between steps so the dog doesn't think he has to rush them and then risk a trip or fall. Just remember to keep him calm and go slow so he doesn't frighten himself by slipping or tripping, because then he'll always remember the torture! My girl trusts me totally but does not trust hard floors usually. She avoided the kitchen floor in our last house for 4 years and so far has avoided this one for a year. Yet she can wander through Home Depot on the cement floor and even lay down for a nap in there Good luck to you both Your boy will learn to rely on you for trusting signals and soon you'll be synced up nicely.

Chip takes 65 mg phenobarbital morning and night, 1250 mg sodium bromide each morning and 300 mg of fluconazole twice daily. He's gone as long as 95 days without seizing and as short as 38 days since he bounced and came to us last fall. Prior to that he sometimes seized weekly. I can tell when his pheno is wearing off as he starts to NOT stumble for a change! He's such a goober - big and dumb and as sweet as can be. His seizures have been no more than 1-2 minutes and it sometimes takes about 10 minutes for him to remember who he is and who I am. I have sensed some fear when he comes out of a seizure so I just sit calmly nearby and speak low and soft until he starts to recognize his surroundings. I never touch him because he startled in his previous home and I don't want to scare him or invoke a fear response. He would never knowingly hurt me, but when he's still zoned out he might. We limit his food Natural Balance venison and sweet potato and fresh veggies meat. I found that the high fat burger is the best for making meatballs to stick the pills into. He just opens up like a baby bird and gobbles them right down. I don't think he's ever bit into one he just swallows it whole He does drink a lot and you can see his legs actually get tired when he pees forever and ever. He is weak in the hind end and I sometimes feel like I'm dragging a car behind me when we go on walks. He likes to drift into the middle of the road too. Such a goober We do get his liver checked and recently tested to see if we were at a therapeutic level for the bromide. We were at 1000 mg but found we needed to boost it a bit. Good luck with your baby Nike, I'm really sorry to hear that you and she are going through this too.

I teach all of my dogs and all fosters that come to visit to WAIT with a VOG and a hand gesture. Usually it only takes once with the VOG and then I use the hand gesture and tell them to wait. Once they get the hang of it I only use a hand signal. The hand signal is important to get right the first time - make an exagerated motion with your hand as if you were going to make contact with their nose ( of course you won't!) and it makes them blink, from then on the gesture can be less dramatic. Whenever I walk outside and the ears perk up I show them the hand and they go right back to sleep They know I will be returning soon and that they need not exert any effort to find me this time The second thing I teach them is DOWN. If you stand around long enough they always lay down so just give them the command and point to the floor and soon they will connect the dots. Good luck to you and Otis

Chip has to take meds morning and night and I found that the cheapest hamburger is the best method for us. I make two ping pong sized meatballs for the pills and he opens his mouth like a baby bird and swallows them right down He's such a good goober. He gets the evening pills while he's in bed and he just lays there and opens up for them! Over the years I've tried lots of different methods, but this is BY FAR the easiest and most reliable for us. No anxiety, no wrestling and he loves them Best of luck to you and your baby.

I have no useful advice for you, but I sure will keep you both in my thoughts and look forward to a positive update soon.

I have been using Revolution from Australia for over three years with no problems. And I"ve been saving money

I started cooking sweet potatoes a few months ago along with other veggies and meat to supplement kibble and have been VERY happy with the results - NO gas and firm poop. Here's a good treat recipe you might want to try sometime: 2 c mashed sweet potato 1 -2 mashed bananas 4 eggs and shells (ground in the blender) 1 cup cooked and chopped beef liver old fashioned oats - mix till cookie dough consistency Bake and cut into squares. Your nose will be so confused by the smell but your dogs will ADORE these