Brandiandwe

Fingers crossed for you!

There are other options for his teeth. And mine had worse teeth on kibble than raw. I'm not advocating raw feeding necessarily, but just saying, teeth do best on things they gnaw: bones, etc, or by being brushed etc. High vs low residue: I think. Might be wrong. Poop = stuff that hasn't been digested. High residue food implies to me extra stuff which moves on through. High fibre, fillers etc. low residue is the reverse. We often see higher residue food suggested to firm up poop. So fibre, some grains etc firm things up for some dogs. For others, it causes a problem, because it's simply too much. Others will correct me I'm sure.

About the peeing and food, with Brandi the two are certainly related with a good dose of anxiety as well. Opt he vet and I have really established that the foods she was on seemed to cause ongoing inflammation through her system (hence some symptoms of a UTI). These decreased dramatically when I switched her to raw.

I'd think that maybe you're feeding too much? But I'd also be walking for longer and keeping him warm at night so he's not so stiff in the morning. ETA mine do 2-3 smallish poops per day on average and a couple do only one or two. So it definitely might be food related. Can you switch back to the other food and see if that improves?

A couple of things you might find help which I did with Brandi. Vitamin B1, 100mg. This is used in racers who run their race in the box. Building up B1 in the system helps calm them. Be careful, because too much can cause excessive urination. Rescue Remedy in breakfast. Lavender essential oil on the base of the neck and armpits. (RIP Lazer. You're still helping us over here!) I use all three as well as lots of exercise on days I'm at work and the combination has dramatically helped Brandi's anxiety.

Is she hungry? Mine always seem to want more when it's cold. Which brings me to, is she cold? Is she maybe a little deaf? A little blind? I know that Benny is much more aggressive (or persistent. He's certainly always there!) about getting cuddles than our others, and I think in part it's because he likes to know where everyone is all of the time.

Are you also starting with training him using sign language as well? I've seen some startlingly good results with dogs who are completely deaf and included it with my dogs when I thought about my wanting them to obey even if they couldn't hear me (STOP or WAIT on the side of a busy road if, worst case scenario, they got away, then saw me and attempted to cross in the traffic).

Well done you! Can I just say that even though you characterised this as one step forward, two back, I don't think you're being fair to either yourselves or to Al? I've found with mine that working through issues is less of a one stop shop solution and more of a journey. It's like little issues unravel like a knotted piece of string. Celebrate the steps inside. That's huge! He's starting to trust you and enjoy himself and feel at home! Leash reactivity I've also dealt with. I've found that super dooper treats are my go to for my leash reactive dog(s). This also works for prey drive. I'd be starting be wedging treats into his mouth before he gets to threshold and begins reacting. But before this was possible with mine, I was putting treats in her mouth while she was barking. She used to spit them out, but the really good ones, she'd stop, look confused, chew, swallow then keep barking. So I'd get another treat into her mouth. Gradually, when she saw something that aroused her (cat, dog, person... birds we still work on) she would think about starting up, then look at me and dance at the end of the leash. I give her a treat, and she'd chew it happily while watching the exciting object, by which times we were usually past. Sometimes she needs a second or third treat, and sometimes she games me because she thinks it's fun, but the trick was to have her looking at me for guidance. This has now translated into scarey things (garbage trucks, trains, lawn mowers and leaf blowers) and it works for all of my dogs. Note that I'm not asking my dog to 'do' anything. This one doesn't drop, sit, lie down... she has her own agenda and my little tricks have no place in it. All I've told her is that outside, if something exciting comes along, if she looks at me before barking, or even after barking once or twice but then comes back to me, she gets good treats. And I'm happy with that.

But you're in Kentucky. Muscovy is in Melbourne, Australia. Regulations and practices are different here, and we don't have the same suppliers or products available to us. So Muscovy is trying to 'translate' information from here into the Australian context, which, I can tell you from experience, isn't always easy. Muscovy, any updates? I've made good friends with my butcher and he sorts my dog food out for me. But it isn't 'pet food' as such, and is run through the same machines as human food.

We went back to the vet today for a follow up. He's very happy with how Benny's doing overall and with his teeth. Now we're just onto general maintenance - brushing and pets life gel. He's become even more bouncy and cheeky and is really loving life. Thanks to all the advice I've gotten here, Benny's doing great. Alls well.

I've never seen in it before.....I guess that means I'm feeding my guys human grade meat.

We don't crate but also leave our hounds inside - paralysis ticks, snakes and spiders as well as the heat..... But they just aren't widely used. We have one we use in thunderstorms or when we have an extra hound staying but, yeah, they just aren't around. So when I say we have one, or we use one, I get some very very strange looks.

I find it odd that Punzie didn't pee in the morning... I don't have a problem with crating per se (although we don't do it, which I think is cultural/ Australian thing) but even when I was leaving for work at 6.45 am I was walking my two for a good hour, and briskly, to empty them out and tire them out. Yes, this meant early mornings, but I'd be doing that then crating. Are you walking in the morning?

I've had Brandi 3 years. She's still a problem. What has helped is eliminating UTIs, switching to raw which means she drinks less, giving her Vitamin B1, sometimes rescue remedy and lavender oil and being strict about schedules. Much of Brandi's is separation anxiety. We cope with it because she goes on tiles or a towel provided, it's only once a week if that now (down from twice a day) and she's adorable. Also, make sure your girl is warm enough. Brandi needs to be rugged if it gets below 21 degrees C.

Hermon and Paige both kick poop. I don't pull them out of the way, but I do nudge them sideways which is easier. They then kick to the side and I pick up the poop. They now know that a tap on the thigh moves them left or right.

Timely. Benny was under yesterday. He's ten in February. He was ok but a little dopey last night. Walked well but was subdued this morning, came to work with me today just in case. A little 'off' but generally ok and tonight he seems all good again. If just took him a little while.

Yeah. I was laughing too. All anyone could hear was the nurse saying 'Oh my! I didn't expect you to be so strong! Ooh! You're too old to be .... Look out!' As she appeared. He ate his dinner and had a good night. Just now he's still in bed, so I'll get up soon and see how he is. My lovely boy. Hopefully now he knows that he's never going to be left again.

He's home! A little wobbly and confused, and he's gone straight to bed in the darkened room. Two incisors out, the rest cleaned, antibiotics for a week, and back to the vet for a final check-up next week, but my little man did so very very well. He charged out of the waiting area, with the nurse skating behind into the crowd of racing greys and their owners, snuggled up to me and then pranced out. Now we're home, he's much more subdued and a little disoriented, but he knows he's home. I'll try giving him something to eat in a little while (steamed rice and some chicken, bland food for an unsettled tummy) and then he can go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be feeling much better. If not, he'll be coming to work with me.

We saw the vet this morning, and bed ause had didn't get breakfast, Benny us in for his dental today. The vet is optimistic that he won't have to extract any canines but won't really know till he's had a good look under anaesthetic. Apparently Benny's are not the worst teeth he's seen in an old dog. I told him I wasn't sure that was the best measure of dental health and he laughed but hopefully we might get away with a very good clean, to get him 'back to a starting point' then take it from there. But jingles and good thoughts are requested. My baby is apart from me for the first time since we got him from the pound and I know a whole lot of bad memories were already starting when the nurse led him away. He looked so scared! Given that history he shoukd be coming home this afternoon, but that seems like a long way away.

Run free Aquitaine.

Mine are also feeling the heat. They stay indoors when we aren't there with fans, air con, and shaded rooms. I hate summer!

I'm in Sydney.... A friend of mine pays $700 a pop. Her boys seems to lose a tooth every year. That's a lot for dentals per year!

So we've had Benny for coming up to five months and I'm going to book him in to have a dental. When we first adopted him, he was seen by a vet who said his teeth 'weren't too bad for a dog of that age'. I cleaned them up as much as possible, but the time has come. I was hoping that with care they would come good. Unfortunately, they've improved dramatically, but not enough. However, he's lost a little bit of fat, put on some muscle, is fitter, leaner and happier than he was when he first arrived, and is much happier, so I'm happier about him going under. This post is just to let you all know about how many $$$ these things cost here. First place I rang, dentals started at $1000 and went up from there. That didn't include bloodwork, X-rays, fluids, painkillers, antibiotics or extractions. All I can think is that they REALLY good gas! Second place included all that stuff and came down to $995. Third place was $550 to $1000 depending on extractions, X-Rays, bloods etc. Final place, my vet who works with racing greys and is awesome: $500 ish for everything, including the possible extraction of a canine. I've a feeling he's going to lose at least two of those and possible others, but we won't know till he's under. So on Monday, Benny and I are heading out for his check up. The dental will be some time after that depending on how busy the surgery is. My hip pocket is going to be feeling it for this unexpected family addition. But, that said, I just don't know how long it's been since he's had a dental. It might be never. Sigh.

I just wanted to say how much I admire you for working through this. I've dealt with some SA and still do, but not what you're handling. So well done for not giving up. I'll be watching for updates, and hoping for the best.

I schmooze with my butcher (and buy him cases of beer regularly) and he sells me my dog meat at 1.50 a kilo. He charges everyone else $4. I do buy in bulk and buy regularly, but it's definitely worth asking, and maybe seeing if anyone else around wants to do it so you can buy more.