Papillon Kisses

How's Scotie's new medication going, or is it still too soon to tell? You are so right when you talk about the "old Scotty" being able to happily crate. My grandmothers both have/had dementia, and it's important to remember that when the brain is very sick or impaired, the behaviour you see is not really your loved one. If they are angry or aggressive and it's out of character or proportion, it might be that their brain isn't functioning properly causing immense frustration (or just entirely doing its own thing), or their anxiety is through the roof and they're terrified. If you can separate the person or the dog from the illness, perhaps thinking of it as the "illness talking", there's less frustration and hurt, more room for compassion, and you can get on with helping your loved one where they are in that moment, instead of dwelling on where they "should" be. You have immense compassion for your boy and I'm not saying you're dwelling — I'm really just speaking generally there. But I'm sure it can be very frustrating and exhausting when he's barking at night or making a mess of his crate, and upsetting when he's aggressive. When these things happen, remember that it's not your precious boy. He loves you dearly, and it's not that he won't behave but that he can't. And take full advantage of the times where he is more present. xxx

I've heard of people doing this before, giving the medication for the vet to give to a patient of their choosing (perhaps someone on a low income who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford care, etc). I'm guessing it isn't commonplace, but not unheard of. It's a lovely gesture and way to honour your late dog. If the vet cannot do it for some reason, a rescue group may be interested — you could contact Rescue Resource or post on the rescue forum on DOL.

A different opinion: my dog would find it extremely stressful to be in an environment where verbal and physical punishments were used on other dogs, even if no such punishments were used on him. Consider whether you want your dog to be in such a stressful, scary and joyless environment. If you do go, make sure no one ever uses your dog as a training example as you can't control what they may do (they may not listen to your instructions).

If possible, may I suggest a mini barrel of whisky on the collar to complete the look. :D

Hi Cazablanca, So sorry to hear your girl is going through this, and that your older dog is poorly as well. I haven't had a dog with cancer, but I've seen this website mentioned a number of times on DOL. http://www.dogcancer.net.au DOLers report that the owners are lovely people and welcome any enquiries, so it might be worthwhile giving them a call? All the best.

He is so precious. xx

YAY!

I'm so glad things went well with the VB, Snook, and Justice is as adorable as ever!! ???? We leave for Tasmania tomorrow for just over a couple of weeks. I'm so nervous about how Malcolm will be, but his in-home minders have been briefed on everything (we've made a little info pack and a spreadsheet for meds) and as he'll be home alone on weekdays more than usual his favourite vet nurses are going to visit him for cuddles. They seem very excited, lol. We're about a 5min walk from our GP vet. :)

Sorry for your loss. x

All breeders need researching There was an example of this recently with toy poodle no less.

I've just been looking into that. Yes we can. This is the form: https://www.car.com.au/sites/default/files/Subs%20form%20with%20payment%20option%20Nov%202015.pdf'>https://www.car.com.au/sites/default/files/Subs%20form%20with%20payment%20option%20Nov%202015.pdf Does require a vet to confirm the microchip number. And there's info on the CAR site. https://www.car.com.au It's very easy to register with CAR in NSW. All 3 of my dogs are on both the NSW Companion Animal Registry and the Central Animal Records. You just fill out the form, have a vet verify the microchip number and send it away with payment. I travel all over for agility and confirmation showing and using a national register is peace of mind. I'm going to do it after hearing the stories of dogs who go missing and wind up in different states. I was on Facebook recently and some idiot had found a dog while on holiday and was driving it home with them to keep. ???? My vet has also has had people bring dogs to them which they found on holiday instead of taking them to a local vet. They say it's not an infrequent thing! I don't live near a state border but still... some people are stupid.

Agreed! There are so many ways to show love for your dog without giving him unhealthy food. You can shower him with praise and affection, take him for walks and swims, play with him, cuddle him, let him join you on the lounge, teach him fun new tricks, buy him new toys, buy or make food puzzle toys, learn TTouch or take him to a practitioner, take him to Nose Work classes (suitable for all ages). Simply be present with him. Save the unhealthy treats for when he's gone off his food or is truly IN his last days. Which your boy isn't from your description. And you can get healthy dog treats and feed them in appropriate amounts. Rotate them so they stay interesting. Malcolm's favourite thing at the moment is snapped off pieces of a whole dried salmon head. It's the most disgusting thing ever to handle and smell, which is probably part of the appeal :laugh: but also high in those omega 3s.

I've just been looking into that. Yes we can. This is the form: https://www.car.com.au/sites/default/files/Subs%20form%20with%20payment%20option%20Nov%202015.pdf'>https://www.car.com.au/sites/default/files/Subs%20form%20with%20payment%20option%20Nov%202015.pdf Does require a vet to confirm the microchip number. And there's info on the CAR site. https://www.car.com.au

That is an excellent point, Tassie! Where are our photos?! The OP needs to get cracking!! :D

I assumed the survey was asking about positive punishment (in terms of applied behaviour analysis).

Fingers and paws crossed over here!

There's actually stuff you could do without a yard! Many beneficial herbs can be grown inside. Malcolm's favourite is lemon balm. You might just need to increase his distance to the trigger. You were very close. I've heard of dog that needed to start at a distance of an entire football field away before very gradually moving forward. God I hope it's not rebound anxiety. He did end up having a better day today after a rough start, though. :)

He's such a doll. ????

I just came across this new sport/game: K9 Scent Scramble It looks like a lot of fun for dogs who like ball games! There is going to be a demonstration at the Dogs NSW Dogs on Show event in Sydney on 11th June.

So Malcolm also had a bad day yesterday with his OCD and is so far struggling a bit today too (shaking). He was fixating on the walls and light reflections during both the day and night, was also staring at me with a strange intensity during the day (like he was really freaked out and asking for help), and was more reactive with Mr PK in response to noises and movements at night. He chose to turn away and lay down in the opposite direction after batting at a wall on one occasion, but in general we had a lot of trouble trying to redirect him: he'd turn to look at us briefly but then immediately go back to staring. Not entirely sure of the trigger. I had missed his trazadone the night before, and our VB says it's possible it was already helping him (he was ok on it the preceding days). His Adaptil collar is also old: I was waiting until closer to when we leave for our holiday to replace it as I wasn't sure it was doing anything, but maybe it is. I hope he improves because I really don't want to leave him when he's this bad.

If it were Malcolm I'd say carry over stress, but all dogs are different and there's Justice's new medication to consider. Remember that even going outside (and being inside in some cases) is stressful in and of itself, as there's the potential to come across triggers—other dogs in this instance—even in your usual walking area. Spending the rest of the time at home relaxing is great. That's what I do when Malcolm has had a very stressful day or incident, as he can take a day or more to re-establish his equilibrium. For us this means no walks as well. Ripping up a discarded box might be a more healthy coping mechanism? I've been meaning to make a thread about this somewhere, but I've inserted some sensory/enrichment elements into our garden with plant selection based on applied zoomopharmacosy, which is where animals self-select various plants or other natural substances seemingly to self-medicate. When Malcolm is highly aroused for whatever reason he takes himself out into the garden and really gets into sniffing and eating his plants. It can look quite feverish, but he returns in a calmer state. Our VB says he's found a healthier way to manage his anxiety vs. other behaviours (e.g. fixating on light reflections/shadows, attacking walls). He also uses play as a stress reliever. I hope Justice is having a better day today. xx

That's awesome Thistle. :D Love it.

Definitely! Pics or it didn't happen!

Hehehe, I'm cracking up because I'm pretty sure Malcolm would be smaller/shorter than both of your dogs (he's smaller than Scottie boy) and I just bend down. :laugh: I believe you that Justice is shorter than he looks (I can tell roughly by the car bumper). Everyone is surprised by Malcolm's size, I think because Mr PK has a picture of Malcolm on his massive computer monitor at work so they expect a kelpie sized dog! You do realize it's harder to scoop up hip sized dogs and carry them in one arm? :D

exact reason my next dog will be hip height LOL I am laughing at both of you! :laugh: "He's a lot lower than he looks!"