fionasmom

I would try treat dispensing toys like the tug a jug someone else posted or the Kong wobbler.

I am so sorry. I know how hard you struggled with the decisions regarding treatment. There are no wrong decisions, he was much loved and I am sure he knew it.

Sammie the Mutt was diagnosed with progressive kidney failure when she was 10 or 11. She would not eat the prescription kibble. The vet said that any senior food would be lower in protein than general adult kibble. I tried a couple of different brands and settled on Science Diet because she ate it better than other brands. I also gave her some of the Science Diet canned food for seniors. She lived about a year and a half past the diagnosis until she finally had a stroke.

Fiona's teeth used to bleed when I brushed them. The vet was not concerned about it.

To add to Turbotania's post, training classes are as much about socialization as obedience. There is a small window when a young dog is open to socialization. Your friend needs to work on that as well as obedience. Your friend has trouble handling the dog now that he weighs probably 30 pounds. In a few months the dog will weigh 70 pounds and he's not going to teach himself any manners in the interim.

Nessa went through a phase where she would try to climb all over me when I ate. For about a month I would put her in her crate (upstairs) just before I ate. Eventually, I realized that she knew the routine and would go upstairs on her own at my dinner time. She didn't have to be crated; she just laid on my bed. Now she just hangs out somewhere else while I have dinner.

Nessa is an english pointer (very high energy breed) and I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. At 9 weeks she knew how to sit for treats; at 10 weeks she knew the down command. We started puppy classes at PetCo at 12 weeks; as soon as she had all the necessary shots. In short, it is never too early to start training a dog. As someone who works with pointer rescue I can tell you that your friend is setting the dog up for failure. Most of the owner surrenders we see are 1 year old dogs that have reached physical maturity but have no training. By that point they are too wild for the owner to control. They have no impulse control and no clue what proper behavior is. Soon after they reach a year old they get put in the back yard because they are too wild to be in the house. Boredom sets in and they start digging, barking and chewing the patio furniture or escaping to visit the neighbors. Their next stop is the shelter. At least a pure bred has a hope that a breed specific rescue will pull them. A badly behaved mix at the shelter has almost no chance. Oh yeah, even with all the early training, Nessa was a handful once she reached the "teen" phase around 8 months but at least the obedience training gave me some tools to work with. If he doesn't like the pet store class he needs to find another training program.

I was sorry to see your message about Gigi's diagnosis. My Fiona was 8 when she was diagnosed and I also chose not to do chemo. I alternated pred with leukeran (which another poster mentioned). The leukeran is a type of chemo med that is given in pill form. A 2 month supply (30 pills) cost me about $250 at RiteAid. I did not shop around so you may be able to find a better price. The leukeran does not cause a remision but does slow the advance of the disease. Fi was diagnosed on April 1 and I lost her 5 and a half months later on September 17. I also had an english pointer foster with lymphoma and the group chose to use only pred so if I can answer any questions about that feel free to message me.

My english pointer has sworn off rawhides as well as pork skin chews. She loves pig ears but they are too rich to give very often and don't last very long. I have gone back to keeping a stash of frozen kongs in the freezer. I put a treat in the kong and plug the hole with peanut butter or cream cheese.

Nessa (English Pointer) did that when she was a puppy. I bought a chain leash at PetCo. She didn't like the feel of the chain in her teeth and the behavior stopped very quickly.

Can you ramp up the exercise by having him wear a backpack during the walks? I have a young English pointer and could not possibly walk her enough to burn off her energy. On days when we don't go to the dog park, she walks with me for an hour while wearing a backpack with weights in it. That is enough of an extra workout that she is much better behaved now.

I emailed you. For others I will repeat what I posted in another lymphoma thread: I have dealt with Lymphoma 3 times. Fiona and Andy (greyhounds) were each 8 years old when diagnosed. I used a combination of Lukeran and prednisone rather than chemo. Fiona was diagnosed on April 1 and died on September 14. I did not have it staged because I did not plan to use chemo but she had only one enlarged lymph node in her groin which was found during her dental. On the pred/lukeran combo she had a very gradual decline. The first lymph node remained enlarged but she was pretty much herself for about 3 months then the other lymph nodes became enlarged and she lost energy, lost weight and lost her spark. Andy died of circumstances unrelated to the lymphoma so no real comparison to make. My English Pointer foster Rliley was diagnosed at 5 or 6 years old. The lymphoma was in his blood smear so stage 5. The group would only pay for prednisone. I have to say the pred had an immediate and dramatic effect. The nodes receded to normal and his appetite returned within 24 hours of starting the prednisone. He was full on normal for 5 weeks. THe day the pred stopped working it was immediate and fast moving. I noticed the nodes were swollen in the morning. By evening they were huge and he was having trouble breathing. I took him in to the vet that evening rather than have him continue to deteriorate through the night.

Fiona was on pred alternating with Lukeran for 5 a little over 5 months to treat her lymphoma. The only side effect I saw was some pee accidents on her bed. She did slowly waste away but I attributed that to the advance of the lymphoma. My English Pointer foster was on heavy daily doses of pred daily to treat his lymphoma. He had some pee accidents and a bout of bloody diarhea which the vet attibuted to stomach irritation from the pred. If you are giving pred there should also be prilosec to minimize the stomach issues.

Fiona had hhok worms when I first adopted her and it took several rounds of treatment to clear tehm up. Even after the worms were gone she had symptoms similar to what you describe including infected anal glands due to contant diarhea. I could never find a food she dis well on. The vet finally diagnosed IBD due tot eh hooks and put her on a prescrition diet for about a month. That did the trick for her.

I have dealt with Lymphoma 3 times. Fiona and Andy (greyhounds) were each 8 years old when diagnosed. I used a combination of Lukeran and prednisone rather than chemo. Fiona was diagnosed on April 1 and died on September 14. I did not have it staged because I did not plan to use chemo but she had only one enlarged lymph node in her groin which was found during her dental. On the pred/lukeran combo she had a very gradual decline. The first lymph node remained enlarged but she was pretty much herself for about 3 months then the other lymph nodes became enlarged and she lost energy, lost weight and lost her spark. Andy died of circumstances unrelated to the lymphoma so no real comparison to make. My English Pointer foster Rliley was diagnosed at 5 or 6 years old. The lymphoma was in his blood smear so stage 5. The group would only pay for prednisone. I have to say the pred had an immediate and dramatic effect. The nodes receded to normal and his appetite returned within 24 hours of starting the prednisone. He was full on normal for 5 weeks. THe day the pred stopped working it was immediate and fast moving. I noticed the nodes were swollen in the morning. By evening they were huge and he was having trouble breathing. I took him in to the vet that evening rather than have him continue to deteriorate through the night. If you don't plan to do chemo, then either pred alone or the pred/lukeran combo are probably the option. In retrospect although Fiona lived over 5 months past the diagnosis, it was very difficult to see her decline and to know when to make the final decision. With Riley, although his post diagosis period was shorter, the remission was more dramtic and I knew when it was time to let go.

Sooo cute. Nessa (english pointer) was about 8 weeks old when I adopted her. It seems to be normal that they pee very often. I would take Nessa outside and then 15 minutes after we came back to the house she would pee again. At some point I realized that she had to pee 3 times per outing. Lucky for me, her foster mom had started paper training heer so even if I wasn't getting the signal she would usually go over to her paper to pee. When Nessa put her teeth on me I would say "no" and redirect to something appropriate. That certainly worked in our case and she quickly learned to grab a chew toy or rawhide. Then again pointers don't retrieve so she may not have the same mouthing issues that a lab would.

I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Sadly I am something of an expert on the topic. I lost two greys to lymphoma within a year and in October I lost a foster English Pointer to the same cancer. With the greys I opted to combine Prednisone with Lukeran administered on alternate days. Fiona was in a very early stage of Lymphoma when diagnosed on April 1, 2009; she was having a dental and the vet noticed a swelling in her groin. I did not have it formally staged because I did not plan to do chemo. I lost her five and a half months later in mid September 2009. Because of the reduced dose of prednisone, the lymph nodes did not reduce in size but because of the Lukeran the overall progression of the disease was very gradual. The foster was in stage 5 when diagnosed; they found lymphoma in his blood smear which meant it was in the bone marrow. The group would only OK prednisone as treatment but he was on a very heavy dosage. The results were immediate and dramatic; the lymph nodes went back to normal and his appetite was voracious. He stayed at that level for almost 2 months but when the prednisone stopped working it was obvious. One morning the lymph nodes under the jaw were swollen again. By lunch time they were draining and forming a sac of fluid under his chin. By evening the sac was so large he had trouble lying his head down. I made the vet appointment that evening because I did not want it to continue to progress at that rate during the night. To be honest, the decision was much easier with the foster because it was obvious when the drugs had stopped working. Please feel free to pm me with any questions.

My mutt Sammie was diagnosed with renal failure on April 1, 2009. I lost her on November 27, 2010; more that a year and a half later. It was actually a stroke that was the final straw for us. The renal diet can make a huge difference. Sammie's numbers actually improrved after she started the diet and stayed stable for more than a year.

I can't interpret the blood values but I have been through Lymphoma three times within the past 18 months. A needle aspirate of the lymph nodes is going to narrow down whether you are dealing with Lymphoma. I would do that before committing to any other testing. I chose not to do chemo. If you want to discuss the various treatment, costs and results please pm me.

Nessa (English Pointer) was an easy puppy until she hit 4 months old. At that point her energy level increased and she became a little puppy whirwind. That is when she started stealing shoes, coats, the other dogs' coats, gloves, underwear, socks...... She had completed all her shots at that point so I began walking her every night. At first it only took a few blocks to tire her out. Once a particular distance no longer tired her, I increased it. Now she is 15 months old and we walk an hour every evening while she wears a back pack with weights in it. On weekends we spend at least ninety minutes at the dog park each day; often we spend 2 hours there. All my shoes are hidden in the closet and I keep the bedroom door closed to keep her from stealing laundry, etc. She completed two sessions of puppy kindergarden starting at about 12 weeks. Now that she is becoming a bit more focused I plan to start more advanced classes with her once the holidays are over. I love her and I am committed to spending the time and effort required to channel her energy but she will be the only puppy I ever raise.

I am so sorry. In just over a year I have dealt with Lymphoma in three dogs (including one foster). I chose not to use chemo but if you have any question in general, feel free to pm me.

It sounds more like excitement than aggression. When I first adopted Fiona she didn't really know how to show affection. She often did "air snaps" (i.e. biting the air) which can be perceived to be aggressive but is actually a sign of excitement (like the chatttering Gracie displayed). She also often butted me in the face with her nose because she didn't know how to lick or give kisses. I suspect something similar is happening here. Gracie was excited but didn't really know what appropriate behavior was. The advice others have given is good. Let Gracie have quiet time when she is on her bed and in the meantime she will learn how to give and receive affection in an appropriate manner.

Did your greys exhibit any other symptoms? Other enlarged nodes? Lethargy? Change in appetite? Or was it just the swelling in the neck? With Fiona it was a complete accident that we caught it early; the vet found a lump in her groin while doing her dental. She had not presented with any other symptoms. Andy had swollen glands under his jaw. The vet could feel that some of the other glands were slightly enlarged. He did not have any other symptoms although I thought he had seemed a bit more lethargic that usual and his appetite was a little off. On the other hand he could be finicky so we didn't really think much of it if he didn't finish his meal every time.

I hate to say it but my guess would be lymphoma. I lost both my greys to it within the past year and am now dealing with it in Riley, my English Pointer foster (what are the odds right?). Riley presented the same with enlarged glands under the neck then a wattle that grew at a fast rate. The wattle was from the lymph nodes draining. The rescue group would not OK aggressive treatment so he is on prednisone. The results are impressive; the wattle and lymph nodes receded within 24 hours after only 2 doses. We are almost 6 weeks post diagnosis and he continues to do well. Unfortunately, I have become something of an expert on the topic so if the diagnosis is lymphoma please feel free to pm me with any questions.

I am so sorry. I lost both my greys to the same cancer. He knew how much he was loved.