nrm1

The only reason I was holding off on obedience was because I wasn't sure what area I'd be moving to. I did know that it would be no where near my current address so there was no point signing up and paying for something near home. The good news is that we are putting in an offer on a home today and the realestate agent is pretty confident that we'll get it. This means that I'll be able to look for an obedience school in that area pretty much immediately. Given that he's only six months old and I've only had him back for a couple of weeks, he hasn't been desexed yet either. That is however the next thing on the agenda. In fact I'm making an appointment with the vet today.

Hi everyone, Just wondering if I could get some advice on some problems I'm having with my westie puppy. Harvey was purchased in July at 10 weeks old and lived with me for about 2 months. During this time he was progressing well with toilet training and obedience and had just started puppy socializing classes. I then found out that my landlord was selling the place and he asked if the dogs could be re-housed until the sale went through. Reluctantly I sent them off to live with my parents. They came back at christmas time and although Harvey is essentially a good puppy there are two issues that are concerning me..... Firstly, once he's had enough of being outside he starts a high pitched bark which he won't let up until he's brought inside. The sound is deafening and drives me insane (god only knows what the neighbours think). Secondly, throughout the day there is a bit of rough housing with my 8 year old maltese. Just normal doggy play and nothing to worry about. However, once a day they seem to get into a really nasty fight with fur flying, snarling, squeeling etc and it's not something that I'd want to get in the middle of. My other half pulled them apart once, but as I'm 4 months pregnant I don't want to risk injury to myself. When I originally took Harvey to puppy school I was told that the best training methods were a good telling off with a gruff voice and/or the water bottle method. Although both methods worked whilst the dogs were with me the first time, neither seem to have any effect when dealing with the 2 situations above now. Although I want to take Harvey to obedience school, I'm holding off for a few months as I'm not sure where I'll be living soon. Anyway, sorry for the long winded post. Anyone have any suggestions? Cheers Nadine

Hi everyone, When I took Charlie to the vet this morning we decided against draining the fluid. He had a diuretic injection and I brought him home. Unless he makes a dramatic recovery, which he hasn't, we have an appointment for 9am tomorrow morning to put him to sleep. I'm devastated. So much so that I've asked my ex boyfriend to come along with me tomorrow because I can't go alone. I already know that I'm not gong to cope well. A friend asked me what I'm going to do afterwards. Sorry to sound stupid but I have no idea. I've never been through this before and it never even crossed my mind. What happens once he goes? God that sounds so dumb. Sorry!!!!

Thanks for the advice. I've never had any problems at the vet, groomer etc. Charlie is very placid in such situations. I'll definitely be having a talk to the vet before anything is done.

Thanks everyone. Charlie is booked in on Monday although he'll be having an anaesthetic and will be in all day. Not sure if I'm comfortable with that. Im already panicking that he won't pull through given his age etc. Lynne, any ideas why this would be different to the procedure you mentioned with no anaesthetic that cna be done weekly? Do you have any more info? Name of the procedure maybe, so that I can ask my vet about it. Thanks

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new here. I've posted a couple of times but typically just read the topics with interest and have found that everyone here has really good advice and you're all really caring and sympathetic when it comes to sick animals. Anyway I was hoping I could get some points of view. My 11 yr old westie has a liver tumor which is producing fluid and the result is a huge tight tummy, made worse by the fact that he's actually lost a lot of weight. The vet has said that he can drain the fluid but is reluctant because it can sometimes cause dehydration and is a very short term solution. Instead he's on diuretics which are doing nothing. Although Charlie seems happy enough the big tummy looks like it would be causing discomfort. The vet says he wouldn't be in a huge amount of pain but would feel extremely bloated. A horrible feeling, I know. He's also finding it difficlt to walk and lays around a lot or king of waddles when he wants to get around. So my question is, would you insist on the vet draining the fluid or would you leave him be? FYI, because of his age we've decided not to put him through anything to try and prolong his life just for our benefit ie no chemo or invasive surgery. Really tough decision to make. So I want to do everything I can to make him comfortable and happy while he's with us. Thanks in anticipation. Nadine.

Very happy to hear that things went well

Hi Lea, My dog was diagnosed with a liver tumor back in September. The main problem we are facing at the moment is a massive build up of fluid in the abdomin which we are attempting to control with diuretic tablets. We were advised to feed a diet which is easy on the liver. I'm using a combination of cooked rice & chicken with Hills l/d but with the fluid build up and the heat we've had lately Charlie often doesn't have much of an appetite. Over the xmas period he went from 8.4kg to 6.2kg in a week. I'd be very interested in hearing about the alternative medicine that others have used. Nadine