Tilly

He is a terror on 4 legs. He cries when he is eating, he cries when his food bowl is empty ... and all the times in between He had his vet check today and got a clean bill of health - he tipped the scales at 6.5kg. We then went and got him a new collar and some Royal Canin (which he loves) ... I haven't got many photo's yet because he doesn't sit still long enough. The first two are of his first hydrobath - because he was a major stinker ... and a short moment of peace and quiet.

The new GSD puppy (red sable) arrived last night ... and he absolutely stunk. The smell was the worst I have ever come across. He has messed in his crate and it was caked in him. Regardless of the time last night the first thing we did when we got home was run him through the hydrobath. He still smells a little but no where near as bad - I was trying to get it done as quickly as possible so we could dry him off. He will probably get another bath today when it is a little warmer. He was also extremely thirsty and slightly dehydrated. He had a drink when we picked him up and polished off almost 2 bowls of water that night once home. He was trying to lick the walls of the hydrobath. I gave him a small quantity of food and he wolfed that down. I swear he has doubled in weight overnight - I had given him a couple of hard biscuits which I thought would give him something to nibble on - he was chewing on them for most of the night. And unfortunately he is a very vocal little boy ... even when he is sleeping he is whinging. His loud whinging last night was upsetting our other GSD - who is supposed to be taking things easy with his leg. He cries every time I leave the room and then only way he settled last night was with me sleeping beside him. I understand it has all been a big experience for him but how do I get him to understand he doesn't need me there 24/7. I don't really want him crying loudly because of our other GSD. He has now been toilets and feed and is sleeping in the bottom of his crate ... and whinging at the same time. I will try and post some photo's later when I catch up on some sleep.

What if this puppy was the baby ... would you still feel quilty about spending time with the baby and not the dog? You dog is going to have to learn to share you ... if not with this pup then with the baby. Maybe you need to decide if you really want this pup - and not just as a companion to Maddie.

I suppose I should explain what I mean by "puppy pen" ... It is actually a chainlink wire square pen (timber frame) that was built for the new puppy. It is 1.2m high and about 1.8m square. It is located in the corner of the back veranda and is bolted to two of the brick walls and the overhead rafters ... I didn't want it moving The poor boy is now really sulking ... he is laying on his bed facing towards the wall with his back to me. He is refusing to look at me or even acknowledge I am talking to him. He must think he is in trouble because he normally gets full run of the yard. Maybe he is a little spoilt ....

I have also fed my boy too many bones ... he was blocked but thankfully a tin of pal was enough to clean him out. I thought I would give him an hour and if it didn't work he was off to the vet. That stuff is revolting but it has its place for a good clean out

I have taken him out for toiletting a couple of times .... and he is almost bouncing. I have to keep calming him down ... and this is day one. Obviously the sedation has worn off ... apparently they don't have one that lasts 6 weeks. I put him back in the pen and had to walk away from the whinging and crying - poor baby is not happy. I did give him soon toys but he got cranky with then and threw them out of the pen ... lets hope he doesn't get as cranky as he did in Nov when he was in hospital.

I have taken 2 weeks off ... which started this afternoon. I suppose this makes it a little easier to introduce the puppy to our boy ... but it is going to be difficult to keep him quiet for 6 weeks. He is going to go nuts not going to work and running around.

Back from the vet with a dopey dog (he was sedated) ... it looks like he might have a partial tear of the cruciate ligament in the knee. He is now confined to the puppy pen for 6 weeks ... not sure what I am going to do with the puppy which is due to arrive on Monday. Might have to build another puppy pen. He should hopefully be feeling better in the morning with the pain drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs. I think I need to get a lot stronger or get a smaller dog ... I needed help to lift him in and out or the car.

Our almost 7 year old GSD was bouncing around like a bunny on Wednesday morning when I took his breakfast out to him. He suddenly gave a yelp and started limping holding up his back left leg. I checked him over and couldn't find any sore spots and through maybe his leg might have slipped out on the wet concrete. After he ate his breakfast he was still limping slightly ... but as it was raining I knew he would sleep for most of the day so I headed off to work. That night he was walking much better but there was still a very slight limp. Thursday morning he was back to normal so I didn't think much more of it. My brother came to pick him up for work tonight and he refused to jump into the back of the car - so now I am worried ... he can jump an 8ft fence from a sitting position and now he is refusing to jump in or out of the back of the car - we usually have to stop him from jumping into the car. My brother told me he is also limping and has weakness in his right leg. Is it possible he has injured his back and not his leg? We can find no sore spots on his back and we can move his joints/hip with no problems or sign of pain. He was hip scored 5 years ago and had almost perfect scores (0:1). I am taking him to the vet in the morning ... but I am already thinking the worse and driving myself crazy with worry.

A dog is for life....

Following on from the other thread about puppy pre-schools.... What are always something I forget about when socialising the new puppy .... When my new boy arrives in a few days .... some of the things he will be socialised to will include: - Loud noises (thunderstorms, loud cars, motorbikes, starters gun, Fireworks etc) - Stairs (open and solid) - Different types of floor surfaces - Cats - Birds - Other dogs - People and strangers - Noisy children (we have 2 primary schools nearby) - Kids on skateboards and bikes - Elderly people with walking sticks - Babies in Prams - Crying babies (more the noise then the actual baby - I only have a recording) - Riding in Cars - The Vet (having his ears cleaned, grooming and vet examinations) - Large Crowds of people Is there anything else I should also think about .... please add to the list.

Take photo's of them in garden pot's ... that way you can do it as single photo's and photoshop them together Good luck at getting all 6 looking at you at the right time - I couldn't even get our two older dogs looking at me at the same time

Definately sign something is not right with the ear. We are always off to the vet as soon as the dog starts scratching his ear or shaking his head - and it always turns out to be an ear infection.

Make sure you read all the fine print with pet insurance ... a friend of mine was looking into it recently and some were only going to pay to a max of $500 on any claim/illness with a excess of $50 ... basically only paying out $450. Others require you to pay upfront before claiming back any expenses - so you need to have the money available in the first instance. We can't use pet insurance (because they are security dogs) so we set up an ING Direct account and have money taken out each pay - so we have some money set aside ... only it does take 24hrs to transfer back to my regular account. We do have alternatives in place and it all worked well when my GSD boy was sick last year and ended up costing $4,600.

I also do the op shop and garge sales for cheap doonas, doona covers, blankets and towels for puppies bedding. Even picked up a few cheap cushions to throw into his bed - to make it more snuggly. I also got a couple of cheap bowls (50c each) for water - they are really heavy china bowls. I got his houndhouse off ebay. I am looking around for a cheapish/bargin crate but definately don't want a cheap quality one ... it needs to be a heavy duty one. Collar and leash were the stuff I brought for our current GSD when he was a pup ... but they were never used because he was too big for them. I have brought numerous toys over the last couple of years and put them aside (rotation) for our current GSD ... so I can fish them out and use them. My mum will make his doggy coats out of old towels and blankets or any old fabric she had around the place.

I was told the glue used in tennis balls when mixed with saliva is corrosive on their teeth ...

I need some URGENT advice. We are getting a working pup in about a week or so. We have looked into the breeder and have seen some exceptional dogs coming from this breeder. We also know a number of people who have this breeders dogs. Recently we have just been advised by another friend that two pregnant females they recently received from this breeder had STD's which resulted in the females aborting very early into the pregnancy and have some serious complications ... basically the females had to be desexed immediately. I don't know which STD it was ... but we are trying to find out. Given we are a week or so away from receiving this pup (he is flying in) - we are now seriously tossing up about going ahead with the purchase ... even though this breeding working line is exceptional. We were buying the pup on a main registration with the intention of breeding him - we are not registered breeders but he will be included in a freinds breeding program if he turns out well. I can't find much information on any STD other then brucellosis - which it doesn't seem to be. Given this dam of our pup has carried the pregnancy full term and had a number of healthy pups - it is unlikely she has the same STD. What chances are there the pups are carriers of the STD? Can an 8 week old pup be tested for STD's? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Oh no - not good news on the eye lids. Our Rottie had to have an op on his eye lids and I am sure it didn't cost that much....

I would worry but unless his breathing is not normal - it should be ok ... no need to panic (if it is an allergic reaction). If it doesn't improve or if he gets worse then definately see a vet.

It might be an allergic reaction ... has he been anywhere new recently or eaten anything different?

I would start from scratch and keep the pup on a leash by your side when it is out of its crate ... basically no free running around the house ... it is too easy for the pup to slip off and toilet inside. Really clean the area well to remove any lingering smells ... use a black/uv light if possible. Take it outside for regular toileting and praise like crazy when it goes outside.

My boy gets fed once a day ... he normally gets fed when he gets home from work at about 6 to 6:30am. When he is not working then he gets fed when I get around to feeding him ... basically before I go to work. If he doesn't work on the weekend then he basically gets fed when I get up. He will remind me to feed him if it is getting up around 10am and he hasn't been fed yet.

That was a good link luvsdogs Kitty - from what I have been told by his breeder ... my boy will probably need more then treat balls to keep him occupied. He seems like he is going to be a bundle of trouble ... cute but trouble

If you can't get home during the day ... maybe consider using one of those treat ball or something similar (buster cude) and use that as her mid day meal. Just make sure she has worked out how it all works first My GSD boy arrives in about 2 weeks and I am taking 2 weeks off work to settle him in etc ... I was planning on using a treat ball as a way of providing his second meal when I went back to work.

I would bathe the area (maybe with some warm salty water) and have a good look. Is the wound area swollen? Is the edges of the wound red? Is the foot hot to touch? Is the foot sore to touch - if it has been caught up then he might have yanked his foot and maybe even broken something or just badly bruised. Is there something in the wound? Personally I would be off to the vet to get it checked. Maybe look at putting the betadine and then covering the wound in a non-stick pad and some of that dressing that sticks to itself (cohesive dressing) - to help keep it clean.