I can not wait until I can run with the puppy. It's impossible to get her energy out but I know I'm not supposed to go for long runs or jogs yet because of possible joint problems later in life. And she doesn't run in the apartment complex dog run, she just sniffs!

I really don't want to bring her to the dog park even though all her shots are done just because assholes with shitty dogs that aren't trained and are aggressive seem to congregate there.

We have multiple treat dispensing toys that we feed half her dinner in, play tug/fetch for hours and she gets four short-ish (20 minute) walks a day.... and still never takes a break from 4pm to 10pm every day. Any good tips to exhaust the dog?

Damn Husky/GSD mix!

[Edited on July 9, 2013 at 7:44 PM. Reason : x]

7/9/2013 7:44:08 PM

Update: pup is doing great in the crate! He has been quite and goes right in.

I do morning walks with the dog and then we try to get him to do the stairs at least once a day (we're on the third floor and there's an elevator which he loves but the stairs gets some energy out on these hot days). I also walk him in the evenings and try to play with him in the open dog area. He's done well starting to play on his own in the house and as long as we keep an eye on him, he's fine.

7/9/2013 10:51:47 PM

Quote :

"My 8 year old Dachshund is starting to go through a similar issue. He was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Disease last week. basically disc degeneration in his spine. Out of nowhere he had lost complete control of his hind legs and was dragging himself across the hardwood floors. I rushed him to the emergency clinic and they did some tests and he regained some slight mobility, but they basically said the signal from his brain to his legs was getting blocked along the way due to a disc either being slipped, bulging, or beginning to rupture. He's currently on a prednisone regimen along with muscle relaxers and pain killers and a mandatory 2 weeks of crate confinement so he doesn't relapse. it's hard watching him, especially when i get him out to stretch or use the bathroom."

UPDATE: So i originally posted on 7/3. On Friday 7/5 my poor dog relapsed and had to be taken in for an emergency MRI and surgery. They found that his disc between #12 and #13 in his back had ruptured sometime in the last 24 hours. (i was told on the first day that there is a 24-36 hour window to diagnose a rupture and get into surgery or else recovery was less than 10%). The night before he wouldn't come out of his crate, wouldn't let me touch him, and wouldn't eat/drink/or use the bathroom. It was so depressing. Once they located the rupture they were able to perform surgery and called to say it had gone better than expected. He stayed at the vet hospital through the weekend and I was able to pick him up Monday morning. He is still on valium, steroids, and pain killers but his mood has improved 100%. He has to remain in crate confinement for at least 2 weeks, but he's eating and starting to regain his balance and taking steps when I take him out to use the bathroom. The surgeon and doctors all said they expect him to make a complete recovery and should be back to running and chasing rabbits in a month.

expensive as shit but totally worth it.,/]

7/11/2013 11:08:47 AM

A month ago, the wife and I adopted a "Carolina Dog" from the SPCA. Only a few people I know have actually heard of this breed and some random people on the street have called him out as a Carolina Dog as well. He's a great dog and is extremely friendly around other dogs and people.

Just curious if anybody else out there has heard of / seen / owned a Carolina Dog before and what your thoughts are.

[Edited on July 11, 2013 at 11:15 AM. Reason : ^sorry to hear. good luck!]

7/11/2013 11:14:35 AM

Anyone ever had a dog neutered at an old age?

I have a soon to be 8 year old GSD purebred and he's always been aggressive but he's been getting more so the past year or so. I've also temporarily moved back home (as my job location is up in the air for right now so it doesn't make sense to buy/rent a place til I know for sure) and he's taken to marking on my parents' furniture. He's never done this at any place I've lived with him and sometimes he'll do it right in front of them. They have two cats and they get along fantastically and my dog's daughter (she's spayed).

Also, and this is weird but I'm pretty sure he thinks my mom is his bitch - he is extremely protective over her (follows her constantly and will growl when my dad or I go in her room) so I don't know what to do about that.

They are convinced that neutering him will stop this problem and reduce agression but I'm concerned that he'll lose his drive (loves to catch frisbees) or tht he's too old to have the surgery.



[Edited on July 11, 2013 at 11:26 AM. Reason : .]

7/11/2013 11:20:21 AM

^^ I see a decent number of them down here in South Carolina...although a lot of them are muts that looks similar so people just call them that.

Not that it's a bad thing...but I think they're pretty "normal". All the ones I've encountered seem to have a pretty good disposition and are friendly. Pretty active as well.

^ Did you have the dog since he was a puppy? Why didn't you have him neutered in the first place? Have you taken him to a vet and asked their opinion?

[Edited on July 11, 2013 at 11:26 AM. Reason : .]

7/11/2013 11:25:30 AM

I doubt he's too old for the surgery, seeing as it's pretty quick and simple (he wouldn't be under for too long). But I have the same question as ^, why didn't you get him neutered earlier? Were you planning to breed him? My fear is that he already has the tendencies now (especially the aggression), so neutering him might not do much good. Shit, my dog was neutered when he was 16 weeks old and he still humps toys every now and then.

I guess I just want to understand your rationale for not neutering before I can comment further.

[Edited on July 11, 2013 at 11:58 AM. Reason : a]

7/11/2013 11:56:25 AM

Our yellow lab has 3 styes in the corner of her right eye (they have just appeared the last 2 days). Our vet won't be open again until Monday. Is there a good way to treat them at home? We have tried the clean and compression method, where we washer her eyes, and then put a hot/warm rag on the stye for a couple minutes. Is that the best treatment at this point?

7/12/2013 6:59:39 AM

So, I'm a bit confused.

Our havanese has been crate trained for the night time since she was a puppy with absolutely 0 problems.

You tell her crate and she goes right in.

However, since Monday night, she's been whining when we put her in the crate.

I thought the first night she had the shits or something so I took her out a couple of times, but the whining continued.

I changed the towel in the crate (maybe it was too stinky?) and checked to make sure there wasn't anything nasty in the crate, and there was not.


Any ideas on why she might start whining now when she's never done it before?

7/12/2013 8:39:59 AM

^sometimes covering the crate with a blanket makes it feel more enclosed and safe, also try putting in some of your socks or something with your scent. not sure why the change in attitude.

Quote :

"^ Did you have the dog since he was a puppy? Why didn't you have him neutered in the first place? Have you taken him to a vet and asked their opinion? "

I have had him since he was a puppy and I didn't neuter him because I wanted to breed him, which I have (I said before that my mom has his daughter). I want to breed him again but I can't find a dam, he's really a one of a kind GSD. I'm not particularly concerned with the aggression, I actually like that about him especially since I lived by myself with him for the last 6 years off Gorman St.

I've always been against neutering because my favorite dog growing up was neutered at a later age and he just lost all of his drive. I'm only considering it now because of the spraying issue but my two concerns are his health and whether or not it will actually stop the issue. The vets have always said I should neuter him but I think that's because he has to be muzzled at the vet (he HATES the vet).

7/12/2013 9:27:59 AM

Is your new baby more active now occamsrezr? Maybe the pup is whining for attention. I know that around 6 months or so is when the sibling rivalry really sets in in kids because they are more active and affectionate, maybe it is the same with furry siblings?

7/12/2013 9:38:37 AM

^^^maybe it's time to let her out of the crate at night?

7/12/2013 9:45:07 AM

mine would go through some short periods of not wanting to be in the crate. he'd get a couple nights in his bed in the bedroom and then start sleeping in the crate again normally after that.

7/12/2013 10:25:48 AM

Few questions:

1 - Anyone know where to buy prednisone without going through my vet, a la fish antibiotics.

2 - For those of you that don't feed your dog just kibble, what do you you feed them and why? Currently considering implementing a half-raw diet and/or supplementing with raw veggies (yes i know which ones not to feed dogs).

3 - Due to allergies, I give my nearly 10 y/o dog presinosne most months out of the year. Anything I can do to [even if slightly] mitigate some of the long term effects of that regime. Unfortunately it's the only thing that works. I think she's currently on 20mg every two days if that's any help.

Also I just put one of those Seresto collars on one of my dogs for the advertised 8 month flea/tick/etc prevention. Pretty good savings at $44 (current Amazon price) compared to Frontline's insane pricing. Reviews look fantastic so I figured I'd give it a try.

8/6/2013 6:20:02 PM

can anyone recommend a good brush for a thick coat? would like to get one for my parents' long haired dach. something that would thin the coat would be best.

12/11/2013 9:35:38 AM

So my dog who is 5 left shit on the bed the night before last, and yesterday I sat down in my living room chair and found shit in the chair as well. This dog is house trained (and has been pretty much since we got her) and I can't tell if she is doing it to spite us or if she has some sort of medical problem. Anyone heard of sudden furniture shitting syndrome in dogs?

12/11/2013 10:46:35 AM

2^ furminator!

1^ Is it normal poop or runny/soft? It could be behavioral or medical. Have you changed anything at your house or in your routine? Does he seem normal otherwise?

12/11/2013 10:49:58 AM

^^ dogs don't have that kind of emotion and don't do things "out of spite".

http://www.pedigree.com/All-Things-Dog/Article-Library/Do-Dogs-Misbehave-Out-of-Spite.aspx

[Edited on December 11, 2013 at 5:43 PM. Reason : .]

12/11/2013 5:40:49 PM

But it could be stress or fear.

12/11/2013 6:00:05 PM

Had a scare with the dog this past weekend. We were in the NC mountains with my sister and bro-in law for a three day weekend and took our dog with us on a trail on Saturday. It wasn't a long trail (maybe two miles total), but it was pretty "rough". Lots of inclines/declines, large rocks and a few steep drops. Our dog loves the outdoors so he just went nuts on the trail. He was always ahead of us by about 20 yards and often double and triple backed just to make sure we were still there. So he probably doubled our actual distance just going back and forth. He had a short rest when we went out to get lunch and groceries, but then he spent the remainder of the afternoon walking in the woods and pond behind the cabin as well as wandering around a bit in the neighbor's yards (nobody was home).

After dinner he took his first long nap of the day. When we went to get up to go to bed, he got up and stumbled a bit and ran into the wall. We thought it was a combination of his leg falling asleep and being drowsy from his nap and didn't think much of it and just went to bed. The wife and I were woken up around 4 am with him whimpering and attempting to stand up and get out of bed...which he couldn't. His back legs basically weren't working. When he tried to get up and walk, his back legs would shake like rubber and he would just fall down or into the wall. So we took him to the emergency vet in Boone. They first tested to see if he had ingested any anti-freeze, which fortunately came back negative. The vet then did a full body "check" and said that his back legs were very "resistant" to any movement, but couldn't make any further diagnosis without x-rays. He said it's possible he just overly exerted himself on Saturday and his body was in break-down mode. Unfortunately that would take a few days to recover, so we would just have to keep him sedentary until then. Said there was a possibility he ate something poisonous that was slowly making him paralyzed, but its extremely difficult to detect something like that.

We decided to forego the X-rays for a few days and hope it was just over-exertion. We got home yesterday in the early afternoon and basically had to carry him everywhere...not easy with a 75lb dog. He couldn't go two steps without falling down. So we carried him out to pee twice and he never had the energy to poop. Although a little unsteady with his legs this morning, he actually walked to the corner of the yard and took a dump in his "poop spot" and walked back into the house. I was overcome with relief to see him walk without much trouble. Can't say how tough it was to watch your 2-year old dog struggle to walk. I'm working from the house today and making sure he stays as sedentary as possible. We want to make sure he has a full recovery.

Anyone ever have this problem with their dog? Any issues with full recovery? Our dog is extremely active, so this definitely surprised us. I go on several 2-3 mile runs a week. We also stop at dog parks during these runs where he's pretty active in playing with other dogs. We also take him to the beach on the weekends where he goes nuts chasing birds at full speed for an hour. So we didn't think that the trail walk was too much for him at the time. In retrospect, I can see how the terrain and altitude could have caused the issue.

Anyways...sucks watching your dog struggle. I can't imagine what's going to happen when he gets older and closer to dying. We're going to be a mess...

[Edited on February 24, 2014 at 9:32 AM. Reason : .]

2/24/2014 9:29:36 AM

Did you offer him plenty of water while on the trip? Dehydration could have made it worse. You can give gatorade to dogs and it is one of those can't hurt/might help types of things (unless you give him so much the sugar screws up his teeth, but that's unlikely if it's just on vacation).

2/24/2014 12:13:47 PM

He wasn't deprived of water. The trail ended at a river/waterfall, so he got tons of water at the midway point and we brought a bottle to feed him at the end. It wasn't hot (about 55 degrees), so he didn't seem dehydrated and he got as much water as he wanted when we got back.

2/24/2014 12:33:08 PM

I adopted a dog from the shelter, and it had to have a heart surgery at NC State or it was going to die. The shelter paid for it, and then I adopted it. Anyways, she's about 7 months old now, and is driving me crazy with her stomach. When we switched her to solid food, she would devour it and then throw up. First step, changed the food. Second, we got her one of those bowls that has obstacles to slow them down. Didn't work. Next thing, we got one of those racks that holds the bowls up high off the ground. That didn't work. Next thing, we mixed some water in with the food still didn't work. So now what we do is mix water with 1/2 cup of food 5x per day. Anymore than 1/2 cup and she throws up, even if there's water in it. We've been through three different kinds of food and are now using Blue Buffalo for puppies because it's a fish based food, and that's the closest thing to sensitive stomach food made for a puppy. I work in the vet business, and got all of the above advice from vets, and have of course had her checked by a vet to see if something is wrong. Seems crazy I'm coming to TWW since I talk to vets everyday, but I'm just curious if anybody's ever had a dog with a stomach like this? I'm hoping she eventually grows out of it and we can feed her just 2x per day. It's scaring me though because you can see her ribs and she looks way too skinny. I know we should feed her more, but can't.

[Edited on February 24, 2014 at 3:29 PM. Reason : food]

[Edited on February 24, 2014 at 3:31 PM. Reason : a]

2/24/2014 3:23:53 PM

depends on the breed but 1/2 cup @ 5x daily sounds like quite a lot. we feed our full grown corgi 1/2 cup @ 2x daily.

2/24/2014 4:06:54 PM

Our 75 lb dog gets 2 cups 2x daily...so cups total. And they are "heaping" cups and we put in a little soft food as well. So 5 is probably about what our guys gets.

How big is this "puppy"?

2/24/2014 4:14:23 PM

No mega esophagus? Breeds you think might be in the mix would be good to know.

My dog had a super sensitive stomach after bloat surgery (vet botched it big time), and she'd eat California Natural soaked in water and some home made food mixed in with it. I'd combine a couple lbs of ground turkey (cheap at Aldi), rice, can of pumpkin, eggs (including shells, I would dry them in the toaster and grind them up), and a children's multivitamin or two. Add enough water to make it a thick liquid, and then pour over the kibble to soften it before feeding. I'd make large batches and freeze it. Basically the same ingredients as canned Science Diet ID but way cheaper and softer.

2/24/2014 4:29:29 PM

jbrick, did the emergency vet do any bloodwork? It's possible your dog picked up something from drinking out of the waterfall. Leptospirosis usually screws up the kidneys, but maybe you dog was one of the few that don't have kidney trouble with it? Lots of other things that could have been in the water as well.

2/24/2014 4:36:14 PM

He pretty much only offered to check for anti-freeze (which he checked and passed) and X-rays. We didn't want to spring for x-rays at the time. We didn't tell him that he drank from the river so that's why he wouldn't have brought it up. Looking up the symptoms for Leptospirosis, and he doesn't appear to have any of them. He really just had no control (strength?) in his back legs...and seemed pretty weak in the front as well.

As of right now, our dog is looking like he's back to normal. We're still going to try and make him rest for at least another day as to not push it.

2/24/2014 4:49:02 PM

Quote :

"UPDATE: So i originally posted on 7/3. On Friday 7/5 my poor dog relapsed and had to be taken in for an emergency MRI and surgery. They found that his disc between #12 and #13 in his back had ruptured sometime in the last 24 hours. (i was told on the first day that there is a 24-36 hour window to diagnose a rupture and get into surgery or else recovery was less than 10%). The night before he wouldn't come out of his crate, wouldn't let me touch him, and wouldn't eat/drink/or use the bathroom. It was so depressing. Once they located the rupture they were able to perform surgery and called to say it had gone better than expected. He stayed at the vet hospital through the weekend and I was able to pick him up Monday morning. He is still on valium, steroids, and pain killers but his mood has improved 100%. He has to remain in crate confinement for at least 2 weeks, but he's eating and starting to regain his balance and taking steps when I take him out to use the bathroom. The surgeon and doctors all said they expect him to make a complete recovery and should be back to running and chasing rabbits in a month. expensive as shit but totally worth it.,"

can't believe i went this long since updating. He's made about a complete recovery as I could have ever asked for. He'll always have slower reflexes in his hind legs which makes him a little funny looking when he runs. But for the most part he's back to his old self enjoying life.

2/24/2014 4:55:39 PM

looks like he's rollin like a boss. cool deal

2/24/2014 4:59:01 PM

She had mega esophagus at one point, but no longer has it. Also, not sure exactly what she is, but the shelter classified her as a doberman, but she's mixed with all kinds of things. I know it's a lot of food, but the damn thing just won't bulk up. Her ribs drive me crazy.

2/24/2014 5:52:18 PM

So I guess it's more a matter of a weak esophagus/esophageal sphincter than an enlarged one. No idea what helps with that, but it sounds like it sucks.

jbrick, lepto was just the first thing that came to mind that they can get from drinking from the outdoors. Maybe they sprayed around the cabin with pesticides right before you got there. Too many potential things that could have happened to know.

2/24/2014 6:16:13 PM

It definitely has us perturbed. The thing is that his back legs seemed to be the thing most affected. We noticed his front legs were a little weak as well, but the back ones were definitely the worst. And there was nothing else that would make us thing it was poison/toxic. No throwing up, no problems with appetite, nothing wrong with his urine or stool.

The online research said it could be a spine/disc problem...but that normally comes from a fall or in older dogs. He's almost two and didn't have a major fall on the trail. It appears to be what the Vet suggested. He always runs on flat surfaces back home and that day he was going up and down, hopping from rock to rock...and he never had any down time. Once he rested, his body just gave up.

Or at least that's what it looks like now. He's walking much better and doesn't seem to be in any pain (which wouldn't be the case if it was a spine/disc problem). Hoping it keeps up.

2/24/2014 6:23:29 PM

This is the dog I was referring to that we are feeding 1/2 cup 5x per day, which is more than the high end of the recommendation on the bag. Don't you think she looks too skinny?

2/25/2014 1:29:58 PM

You can usually only see the last couple ribs on a short haired dog of that build. Definitely on the skinny side, but the foster I have now is the same way. He's about 40lbs right now, but he's holding steady at over 3 cups a day of the performance 30/20 food that's 475 kcal/cup. I've given him some probiotics, but I guess I should do a second round to be safe. I think this guy is just building up muscle right now because he was super skinny and had no muscle on him when I got him a month ago.

2/25/2014 2:35:34 PM

Well this food is 367 k/cal per cup, so maybe we should try something with more k/cals. She's about 25-30 lbs right now. She'll never meet her full size potential because she had persistent right aortic arch as a puppy and it stunted her growth. She is a doberman mix, but obviously not the size. Should I go ahead and take her out with a shotgun? jk

[Edited on February 25, 2014 at 2:40 PM. Reason : a]

[Edited on February 25, 2014 at 2:41 PM. Reason : a]

2/25/2014 2:39:04 PM

Yeah, this guy is a Dutch Shepherd and should be at minimum 60 lbs (most of the males are more than that). He was 32 when I got him and looks a little skinny at 40, but he'll never be full size because he was starved as a puppy. You can tell he has huge paws and would have gotten bigger otherwise.

California Natural was one of the best for high calories and a short ingredient list, but I don't know if they have gone down hill since they were bought out. You could try putting a little oil over her food too. Coconut oil is supposed to be pretty easy on the gut (it's way cheaper at Sam's club or Costco). If you want to add calories between meals you could make something like this and leave out the honey (unless you want to eat them too). I can't imagine a dog turning down banana, peanut butter, and coconut oil. http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/07/healthyalmondbutterfudge.html

2/25/2014 3:30:05 PM

If you want to add fat...sunflower seeds(oil) is the easier way to go.

however, you dont want a fat dog.

I'd look into the ingredients...seems like at 360 thats a lot of filler.

Compare the ingredients...you'd be amazed what the "top shelf" brands put in there

[Edited on February 25, 2014 at 3:40 PM. Reason : d]

2/25/2014 3:40:43 PM

Update on skinny dog that I feed 5x a day. Started going to a new vet. He explained that after her surgery, she would have been at high risk for two things. First is scar tissue in the esophagus, and second is like a little saggy area in the esophagus where food will just sit. Both would cause her to throw up if she eats too much at one feeding. There is a chance it will correct naturally.
He also thinks she's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, but without the Ridgeback. They call them Rhodesian slick backs. She does look just like one, and she about 1/3 the size of one which is what the surgeon said the surgery would cause, stunting her growth that much. She definitely acts like one. Said it's likely too that she would have been in a shelter. A lot of Ridgeback breeders will give slick backs to the shelter bc the AKC doesn't recognize them as Rhodesian Ridgebacks. The slick backs have some kind of genetic nuance that causes them not to have the ridge. Also, she's bulked up quite a bit since I put her on a higher calorie diet.

[Edited on May 6, 2014 at 2:14 PM. Reason : a]

5/6/2014 2:12:18 PM

Anybody have a recommendation for an affordable seat cover for a Jeep Grand Cherokee ('09 model...which I think '05-'10 are pretty much the same).

I have a great Kurgo for my 4runner...but it doesn't fit with the headrests in my wife's Cherokee. So right now we're only using my car for dog transportation. I've found some other ones...but they are stupid expensive. The Kurgo was like $35 and it's crazy durable.

5/6/2014 4:45:36 PM

^^ever thought about DNA testing?

5/7/2014 7:53:26 AM

^from what I've read it's not real reliable

5/7/2014 2:07:18 PM

I'd gander it to be more reliable than someone's word

5/7/2014 2:25:58 PM

I work in the veterinary industry and interact with multiple veterinarians per day. Not trying to be a dick, just saying I have reliable sources.

5/7/2014 2:47:35 PM

even the boxes of those tests will tell you how shitty they can be.

5/8/2014 11:43:48 AM

Yeh, the Wisdom panel supposedly is the best because it has the most number of breed-related genetic markers in its database, but it's only a fraction of what would be needed for 100% accuracy.

5/8/2014 4:19:17 PM

Quote :

"I work in the veterinary industry and interact with multiple veterinarians per day. Not trying to be a dick, just saying I have reliable sources."

pwnt; fair enough.

5/9/2014 8:04:30 AM

If you guys have dogs that get up on your furniture when you are gone we have found a great solution. Our dogs would never get up on our couch when we were there but we would catch them when we came home or we would find it all furry. We bought a nice new couch and there was no way we wanted to let them fur this thing up. Got a few of these things (it's a sectional couch so we needed 3) and problem completely solved.

http://www.amazon.com/Sofa-Scram-Sonic-Deterrent-Repellent/dp/B001J2Q3KY

Now they don't even get up there when we forget to put the mats down. I wish we had found these things a long time ago.

5/9/2014 9:41:11 AM

we just put a long sheet of tinfoil on our couch....dogs HATE tinfoil. we keep it folded up in a drawer in the living room.

5/9/2014 12:16:29 PM

That sounds interesting, I hadn't heard that before. Could be a good thing to use for our smaller chairs that we don't have those mats for.

5/9/2014 12:54:59 PM