cornell

I just realised that my title sounded a bit dramatic so should also add that she is not yelping in pain, she is not avoiding food in any way and she is quite happy in herself. Nevertheless we are still going back to the vet to investigate the inflamed gum and the muscle spasms which occur at odd times. Thanks for the reassurance guys!

I am so sorry to hear what you went through. It must have been heart breaking. We will take her to the vet that we have been working with in the morning to get another opinion. Until then I thought that I would ask DOL about different ways of tackling this issue as they say 'two heads are better than one'. Has anyone used the PetzLife Oral care products?

Thanks to Matthew's help we now suspect that the shooting pains my girl has been experiencing may be due to a dental issue rather than a joint or spinal issue. For as long as I can remember she has always chewed her bones on the left side. Her gum is red and inflamed on the right side. In a younger dog the tooth would probably be removed but Tia is now 11 which is obviously very risky. What non surgical methods do you think that should we try?

Awh You must have loved your dane very much. That is brilliant!

OOOOoooo interesting Thanks KHM! and thanks for the feedback guys!! I love this forum! We need something to help her get out of the car since she has some front end weakness at times. Last night we set up a non slip board and attached it to a a raised dog bed to make a DIY platform. I hope that it gives her something stable to jump on without being too low. Does anyone know of any devices to help a large breed get out of the car? when we don't have our large DIY platform? I am now thinking that she would just try to jump over a step.

Yes that kind of thing but for a large breed. Thanks for taking the time to help us out.

Does anyone know where I can get a stable and large step to help my large dogs get out of the car more easily? A carpeted stable raised platform would be ideal. I'm afraid that my girl would not trust a ramp.

What a shock! Thank goodness that you were able to do something to help her. Good luck Abbey!!! We are all sending our best wishes to you!!

My girl was panting constantly when she was nine. We took her to the vet. They were not concerned as her heart was strong. They discounted Cushings as she was not drinking an excessive amount. We have been told that it is a sign that she is getting older. We also got our pup at a similar time and he pants just as much.

By the way Matthew is a star It seems that there is not a lot that we can do but Matthew is still going to give it his all :D ... and a prayer or two for my girl would be greatly appreciated too Thanks again everyone and have a very

Rotti fan - THANK YOU for the ray of hope. I am so glad to hear that your dog is so much better It is weird that my girl spasms when she hears a loud noise then again it can also happen when she is lying still too. Thanks to everyone who has helped me learn a bit more about what is going on with her I think that I shall have to take her to yet another vet/ chiropractor for some more pieces to this puzzle. Do you think that your mobile vet is mobile enough to come to SA?:p (just kidding) -sort of :p :p

That's golden! *sniff*

if that's the case, there should be very many stumbling sore dogs around . That comment doesn't sound terribly reassuring. Did he do any manipulations/treatments? tell you where ,or what the injury was? Yes, not terribly reassuring at all to be honest. There was a manipulation. There was no sign of significant injury. I was advised to get her on a raw diet to increase the protein, give her omega 3s and see how she was in a couple of weeks. We could start using acupuncture and herbal treatments. I thought that the joint guard covered the omega 3s but apparently it does not:( The vets don't seem too concerned as she looks happy and healthy for her age and they are not there when it happens but her symptoms are worse after a free leash walk on the beach last weekend - so we won't be doing that again! I think we need to let her rest/recover from that walk and assess the situation again. I have tried to raise her bowls but it does not help. I should point out that most of the time she is fine but she does tend to stumble once a day and she seems to be experiencing the shooting pains a few times a day. Other than that she is happy to walk up and down stairs, jump on the couch and is very keen to go out for a walk as usual. Yes more investigation is needed so please keep up any insights that you could offer. I want to try to avoid the uncomfortable and expensive needle in a hay stack testing. Does anyone know a good vet in Adelaide who might be talented in solving in this kind of problem? I wonder if Cushings could be involved as she does run hot which increases her drinking and she does have muscle wastage?? Maybe I need to be more patient but I just want her to be back to normal asap. Thank you for generously taking the time to help us out.

Thanks guys! We have tried a chiropractor. He thought that it was due to age and a non raw diet. How many visits did you need before you saw a difference?

Has anyone had any experience with a dog with a pinched nerve or one that experiences a shooting pain? My 11 year old is tripping which causes her to stumble. She also seems to experience a shooting pain especially when she lowers her head to eat or drink. At other times she is happy as Larry and is able to run and jump on walks. It does not effect her spirit in any significant way. The vet said that she may have a pinched nerve and that she is experiencing muscle wastage. They do not seem too concerned given her age but her stumbling is breaking my heart. Surely there is something that we can do??

There is not much that you can do in this situation except head towards the owner immediately. Do not wait for them to come and get their dog because they won't. Personally I would avoid this kind of park. Minamise the stress for your pup and yourself. It only takes one out of control aggressive dog to spoil things. Walk at quiet times. We go to dog parks when there are no dogs. Meet up with friends who have trustworthy dogs, join a puppy class or the GR association for fun meeting days. Just quietly I think that it won't be long until it is your pup that will want to rush up to others dogs and people and shower them with love and affection so the others do bring up a worthy point. Work on your recall as often as possible. ;D

I usually reply with, "Yep and they deserve to be spoilt too." Then I usually go on and on about how special and what great friends they are. No one can argue with that. There is no shame and I would not have it any other way.

It is hog wash. These are all behaviours of a happy dog who loves their life and owner. It is this interaction that makes having a dog so special. As a newbie dog owner I followed this advice religiously. It was totally unnecessary and prevented me from having some very special moments with my best buddy. I regret it. However, if my dogs became aggressive at all I may look at the situation differently. Now go and enjoy a good cuddle on the couch with your beautiful and loyal friend.

Last year we got a Christmas card professionally printed with our fur kids on the front. Has anyone else done this? What is your favourite personalised Christmas card site?

Cages are definitely not essential.

This is very normal. I lost my boy a year and a half ago. You don't find dogs. Dogs find you. Your boy probably feels your pain and could be sending you a dog to heal. You obviously have got a lot of love to give so it might be a case of going with the flow in this situation. Just be open to the fact that this new bundle of joy will probably be so different to your boy and give you a new set of lessons but they will also make your heart melt and make you laugh in different ways. As they say life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans. Choose your breed and healthy dog carefully and you will wonder how you ever lived without it all over again.Get ready your life is about to change for the better again

Obviously many of you have never been in the frightening situation where an unknown large dog has had its jaws wrapped around you or your precious dog in a public place. I sincerely hope that you can reach a new level of understanding without having that direct experience. It was not ideal for Gus to approach another dog but it often happens (and just for the record my dog was on its leash). There is no way that owners are able to fully protect others in public 100% of the time from harm from a dog who is known to inflict serious damage with just a leash. All it takes is for them to be distracted for a second or for something unexpected to happen (like another dog who accidentally approaches.) Next time innocent people could also be unintentionally injured trying to break up this attack. It all happens so quickly yet the emotional effects can be long lasting.

My sympathies go out to you! A dog with that potential needs to have a muzzle in public at all times. I would also love to know what the 'right' thing to do is since you were also at risk of being bitten. All I can think of is going for the other dog's eyes like a shark attack. Thanks Tap I shall also store your ideas in mind. I hope that some others also chime in so that we can all learn as much as we can from this. Is it just me or has there been an increase in dog attacks lately? Perhaps I am more sensitive as I have also been targeted recently? Best wishes to you and your pup!

Awh they're ADORABLE Panto. Thanks for the link :D

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