Papillon Kisses

I'm sorry for the loss of your treasured girl.

The other dog has since passed, but I'll write for you. As I mentioned, we lost our papillon, my heart dog Tuffy, to congestive heart failure. My advice is to have a plan for what you will do if Buddy goes downhill out of hours and needs to be given his wings ASAP. Know the opening hours of all local vets not just your own, know how long it takes to get to the emergency vet, know if you can call your vet and have them come to you or you to them for an emergency PTS. Have a neighbour or relative on call if you need someone to look after your daughter, have a blanket ready in the car, and so on. My precious little man did not have a nice death, all of the vets in our area were closed so we could not relieve his suffering. While he was calm right before he passed and was in my arms gazing up at me, the image of him suffering beforehand still haunts me and cuts me to shreds. I let the love of my life down when he needed me the most, by not having him be put down earlier. I hate typing this, because I know it will be very upsetting to read, but I do not want Buddy to suffer like Tuffy did, nor for you or your family to see what I saw, especially your daughter. It is easy to think, my dog is ok now, I want as much time as possible, I don't want to cut their life short. I don't want this post to have you cut short your time with Buddy either, please don't let it do that. I'm just saying, it is better for them to go a day early than a day late, and do not count on Buddy passing gently in his sleep as he may not. Dogs are incredibly stoic, and they're extremely good at hiding their pain when they love you and you are their entire world. I am thinking of you, your family and your darling Buddy, and sending you strength.

Whoa. I really like Malcolm's boomerang dog tag, but he'd need something a whole lot fancier to attach to one of those collars.

Do not have, but am kind of fawning over: Friendship Collar

A couple of years ago I n Mole Creek in Tasmania I met a little dog, I think he was a Jack Russell from memory, who has snatched up one day by an eagle. It happened right in front of one of the owners. The eagle just plucked the dog off their field and flew off with him in its talons. They don't know how far he was taken, but he was found 10km or so away by a neighbour who recognised him and brought him home. The dog was never the same: he became fearful and would bark at everything, but he survived and became a bit of a local celebrity. He is, or was, a very very brave little dog.

I was given a Dog's Life Magazine lift out yesterday which is all about holidaying with dogs. In the SA section of an article on "Canine Camping" there is this: *John Frith, author of "Bush Camping With Dogs" Another article talks about beach holidays. It states that there are over 30 dog friendly beaches but leashes are required during daylight-saving months. There's a long list which I assume can be found someone online. It specifically mentions beaches in the following areas: Kingston, Robe, the Onkaparinga area, Holdfast Bay, and the Charles Sturt region. There's no mention of suitable camping sites, but perhaps the locations might give you some ideas.

Last night I wrote a post in response to the thread about the dog who is in heart failure. I've saved it on my phone but fear it may be too upsetting for the general forum. It's not graphic but it does mention suffering and waiting too long. I could write here but I'm not sure it would help since it seems like you have more time. Our beloved papillon, Tuffy, died of congestive heart failure. My own heart breaks for you, Swain.

The above point cannot be stressed enough. It might also help to reframe your thinking about the issue. Thistle isn't disobeying your instruction as such, it's more that she can't obey them because she's too anxious. It's like... think of something that you'd find absolutely terrifying, maybe someone holding a gun to your head or heights or being in a pit of snakes. You might cry or scream, your heart would be pounding. Thistle's fear may be illogical to us, but it is very real to her. Her barking is your scream for help.

I'm so sorry Sarasmum.

I may or may not be jealous. :D

Sorry, I didn't see your post before I replied. I am so sorry to hear Maddison has gone downhill. I'm thinking of you, and pulling for her. xoxoxoxoxox

Dogs tend to hide their pain and illness very well. The behaviour change coupled with the gums, suggests to me that something is wrong with Maddison. With tomorrow being a Sunday and it only being 8pm, I'd at least call your vet and tell him what's happening. I don't think this would be an abuse of his out of hours service, if that is your concern. When I've been unsure, I've called my GP vet or, if out of hours, the team at Animal Referral Hospital Homebush (24 hour emergency hospital). I went to a pet first aid and dental presentation there some years ago, and they stressed that if you're ever concerned you can call them and have a chat, and they'll let you know if it warrants an emergency visit or if it's ok to wait it out until you can see your GP, and what you can do in the meantime (at home treatment and things to look out for). They are so calm and lovely when you're beside yourself with worry, I can't praise them enough. So while out of your area, if you really don't want to call your own vet perhaps you could call ARH? http://www.arhvets.com/contact-us.

You're not selfish. Not one bit. Loved ones of people with terminal illnesses go through the same thing: if it helps to put a name to it, you're grieving or having anticipatory grief. It might be nice if we could hold it all in and fall apart afterwards, but the heart doesn't work like that. It just means we love our special person or pet. Do you have a support system you can lean on outside of DOL? Do keep chatting here — those of us who have gone through loss / terminal illness with a beloved pet get it as much as we can — but be sure to let people in about how you're feeling, including your GP if you aren't coping and these feeling persist. Also try to make time to do some self-care and things you usually enjoy, to look after yourself. Listen to music, take a relaxing bath, go for a walk, etc. Even if you might not feel like it. Especially if you don't feel like it. Take care. xx

Better person than I. I just couldn't. Thanks Tassie, I was taking Scottsmum's approach despite this being my own thread, lol. I agree with what you have said. :)

I can't infer tone from your post, but please understand that my response was not a slight on you. I just think that one is best to contact their vet for health-related concerns; they know the puppy's history and all it would take is a quick phone call. In a public forum you can get a whole heap of different opinions, many not from vets or vet nurses or in your case an experienced breeder who has not had any issues. :)

Call your vet. :)

:thumbsup:

Oh swain that's horrible. Have you seen pet quality of life scales before? It might help you make a decision. As much as people say that you'll know when it's time, I don't think that's always the case and having it spelled out in front of you can help. There are a few scales around, here's two: https://journeyspet.com/pet-quality-of-life-scale-calculator/ http://www.aplb.org/resources/quality-of-life_scale.php (The first is probably more user friendly) With the compounding, you can also consider ringing up a few chemists. I really liked my old compounding chemist but found that another compounding chemist could make up the script for a LOT less. Thinking of you. x

I saw your post earlier but didn't reply as I'm not sure how far you're willing to travel? Paws Up Training in Engadine come recommended by my vet behaviourist and local vet. http://www.pawsupdogtraining.com I'm not familiar with individual dog tech trainers but am wary of franchise dog trainers in general.

I'm staggered that the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council seemingly are not enforcing their own dangerous dog order. They are leaving themselves wide open to litigation. If a council is notified that a dangerous dog owner is not complying with the terms of an order, then council shares responsibility for later attacks IMO. They knew of the risk and did nothing. If my dog were attacked by this Great Dane, council would have their heads on the chopping block too. As for the dog owner, I am holding back on my description of her... I'd be preaching to the chorus anyway.

Ah I getcha. Yeah, it's hard to see them not themselves (the best version of themselves that is) especially when it's because you're giving them something. Meanwhile......... I got Malcolm to operate his treat toy this morning instead of trembling next to it!!!

Mal's on Prozac (fluoxetine) Snook, not clomicalm... you might be getting mixed up with Scottiesmum. :) He was starting to get back some zest for life on the full dose, but it was apparently taking too long for it to just be a temporary side effect. We may increase his dose by half or add in something else, depending on how he responds. Anyway, I'm so happy to hear that Justice's stitches are out and that the cone is off!! What a relief for you too. Now just to get that shoulder healed up. It's awesome that your vet has been so accommodating too; not having that extra stress would have made a big difference to his recovery.

How's everyone going? We had a VB follow up on Thursday and decided to reduce Malcolm's Prozac dose back down to half. Since lowering it we've seen more play and social interaction return which is pleasing. He even did some proper zoomies yesterday! We just need to keep seeing consistent improvement. Unfortunately we stressed him out too much yesterday when we took him to my parents' house for lunch. He was ok until he was frightened by the sound of a hose hitting a plastic sheet and lost it. From that moment he was very distressed and kept barking at every little noise. Taking him to a quiet room didn't have help much so I took him home early. Thankfully we live nearby! It seems like stress has a hangover effect too; he was thrown off by any little trigger last night and again this morning, barking at everything and nothing. I feel so guilty, though on the plus side he did not stare at nor show aggression towards my mum.

Our vet behaviourist doesn't want us to lock him, so being "escape proof" doesn't actually matter, he can just waltz out through the open door. :laugh: I can see a door being useful in an emergency evacuation situation or maybe if we do nose work trials, but the latter is getting WAY beyond myself. Portability is important though for trips to Grandma and Grandpa's. :) So much to think about, and I'm possibly overthinking it, lol.

I seem to recall that Scottie is on anxiety meds. Did the prescription or dose change recently? Has he been under any additional stress of late? Or has a previous stressor resolved itself only to have this issue pop up? Reason I ask: Malcolm has Generalised Anxiety Disorder and we see this all the time. We desensitise / counter-condition him to one trigger (usually noise related) only to have another appear soon after. This is not verbatim, but our vet behaviourist said that this whack-a-mole like situation can come about when you do behavioural modification (training) without treating the underlying anxiety disorder. She also warned that although rare, some dogs can have increased noise sensitivity on some medications, in which case you discontinue it and try something else, and that other medications if not judiciously used can cause rebound anxiety in the longterm. Definitely mention the noise sensitivity to your GP vet or even better your vet behaviourist if you have one.