Little Gifts

I am quite jealous of this kind of understanding some people have with animals, like they speak the same language. There used to be a local guy in my little town who could turn a wild bird into a pet within a couple of hours. We ended up using him with a galah that had been injured as a chick and couldn't be released back into the wild. It went to a fantastic new home where it adored its human companion. And an ex of mine had a thing with stray cats. He was a chinese guy and would catch all these strays behind the restraurants he worked at. He would catch them with little effort and fuss (certainly no scratches from the cats) and just hold them against his chest till they stopped struggling. Most ended up going home with him or other people he worked with after he had 'tamed' them. I saw him do it dozens of times. I also saw him stop a guard dog from launching an attack on him one day. Animals just acted differently around him like he wasn't a threat. Mind you he was a arsehole as a boyfriend!

I am noticing some change on the vivitonin. My girl has always hated being fussed over (strange for a staffy!). I went to put her jumper on Tues night and she growled at me because she didn't feel like being touched. She has been getting off the bed every night and coming around my side of the bed when she wants to go out for a piddle, although not actually making any noises to wake me. Last night she slept on the floor because she can't get onto the bed by herself and I never woke up. And she has a bit more coordination and has been able to turn around from tight places (no more stuck beside the toilet!). Aside from that I haven't seen much other improvement. Still some huge piddles on the timber floors if I don't guide her straight outside in the mornings or during nightly toilet breaks but still nothing on the bed while we are sleeping. It is probably what I expected but might still get more. Sorry it didn't work for your girl Trish. My girl hates the rain with a passion so if I ever find her standing out in it like yours then I would be really worried!

You know those goats that faint when they get excited? Well I have a dog that gets to that point. She has to take a moment to calm herself down and take a deep breath. It's like she hits adrenaline overload waiting for you to get out of the car, cross the lawn and walk in the door, so that when you are in the door she has lost all functioning. My sister's dog is a talker so whenever one of us walks in the door she is rah, rah rahing away, telling us all about her day. Who could live without the adoration....

I am just addressing this with my almost 16 year old staffy. My vet has diagnosed dementia (there are other indicators besides their forgetting their toilet traning - try the test on www.maturedogs.com to see other signs that are probably evident). After a kidney test she has started on some medication and I will know in a couple of days if it is going to make a difference. One thing I do know is that after day 2 of the tabs she actually got off the bed and peed in a corner of the bedroom rather than just standing up in bed and peeing on my arm, so I'm happy with that! Can't tell you tha name of the medication at present but something like viviton.

I feel like such a hypocrite. I would let science take anything from my own body that they can use because when I'm dead I figure I wont care where or what happens to my bits. But my animals? OMG I don't think I could! I know where they are all buried and even after many years knowing that still gives me comfort. I visit and talk to them still and take the new dogs with me. Likewise I couldn't cremate any of them - I'm a dust to dust girl. Of course none have had a rare diseases - something like that would obviously make a difference. Charles W I think leaving him afte rhe is gone from this life to science would be a very noble and respectful legacy for your boy.

This just reminded me that my old boy (who was desexed) had this happen a few times. I had no idea what the hell was happening and first time used a cloth soaked in very cold water and held it over the whole swollen mess in the hope it would go down of its own accord. I even resorted to using packets of frozen vegetables wrapped in tea towels! I never had advice from the vet about ky or sugar water but those methods just sound even grosser! I just remember he would be all hunched up and unable to stop humping. Frozen loins seemed to fix the problem.....

Removed due to responses about my personal experiences by another DOLER.

Something similar happened to me after new people bought the house next door. I'd gotten a new rescue pup to keep my old dog company. Then within a month I had an accident that kept me bed ridden for three months. My sister moved in with me to care for me and lost her accom so had to move in permanently with me bringing a third dog. All 3 dogs got used to someone being home. First week we both went back to work full time I got a letter in my mailbox saying the pup was barking and I should get a shock collar for it. I was incensed. They had also complained to the council. I heard from my cleaning lady that the new neighbour was scared of dogs and they had been tidying up the garden and leaning over the fence, causing the dogs to bark protectively. I was home myself one day and saw and heard her trimming stuff over our side of the fence (OCD anyone?) and yelling at my sister's dog to shut up. I went out, gave her a look, called all the dogs inside and slammed the door. I decided not to buy into her issues as our dogs really weren't doing anything 'wrong'. The new owner has never even lived there. The house has been rented and I have had no complaints from the renters or any other neighbours (we actually live in a street where nearly every house as a couple of dogs). Our dogs stay inside at night and are fenced back from the street. I have no doubt there was some initial settling in for the new pack after we both went back to full time work, causing some noise and told the council that. They seemed to think that was reasonable and that otherwise we were being responsible pet owners. There have been no other complaints or council checks and we have continued to manage our dogs as we always have, ignoring the owners next door when they turn up. Some people don't like animals. Some people like to complain. I found the council really understanding and I doubt they would consider a few minutes of barking as a real 'nuisance'. Why not get them to come around and check when you are not home if there is an actual problem and get their advice? If your dog is truly being a nuisance then more than one neighbour would be complaining. Don't let your neighbour dictate your life - you and your dog have rights too. And try not to be rude or angry back to them as that feeds some people. You might well find your neighbours complain a lot more than just your dog.

Removed due to responses about my personal experiences by another DOLER.

Labsrule I too thought it was getting a bit heated but then I realised this is a painful area we are touching on. There is no one right way to have your animal sent on its way and I guess there is no one way of remembering or feeling it. I know I did the right thing by my boy and that is all that matters. Like others I have never really shared any details other than on this thread because who wants to know anything more than your beloved buddy is gone and you are sad? And to continue the whole thing about how different vet experiences can be - my vet never charged me a dime. I expected a bill in the mail but instead got a card and flowers delivered to my home from them. (and my continued loyalty to that vet and her surgery)

I was just thinking that one big difference between animals who are distressed/thrashing while being pts could be their level of ill health. My boy was ready to go and I don't think he would've acted differently whether I was there holding and talking to him or not. Other animals may sense something is happening and respond to the emotion from the humans around them because mentally and physically they are not quite ready to leave this world. I don't think my dog was sedated beforehand but if I had to put a younger dog down because of some health issue that was going to affect it quickly or due to some behavioural issue that couldn't be resolved then I would sedate first just to be on the safe side for the dog. I'd hate them to go out panicking because they didn't realise what I was doing was for the best. It is probably no different to people whose spirit or brain isn't ready to let them go even though their bodies are failing them.

Removed due to responses about my personal experiences by another DOLER.

I took my old boy to the vet realising it was time. My vet and fave vet nurse couldn't bear for him to go (they'd both treated him a lot over the years). They gave me all these pain killers saying just wait another couple of days. So I went home and stayed in bed with him for 2 and a half days just talking and cuddling. I took him back just before the vet closed on the Saturday and another vet and vet nurse did it for me. I stayed the whole time with him and it was very peaceful for him and me. It was his time. He just put his head down, closed his eyes and was gone. I took his favourite towel with me and they wrapped him in it and some other bags and carried him out to the car for me. I took him home and buried him in the backyard (don't care what the council says!). The vet delivered flowers to me on the Monday expressing how sad they were that my boy had gone. It's two and a half years later and I am crying typing this but don't have any regrets ending things when it was clearly the right time for him. RIP Budda-Boo.

What about dogs with intellectual disabilities? Has anyone had a dog like that? As a result of old age one of my dogs is off with the fairies half the time. We manage it with more routine and guidance as needed (almost back like when you are raising a puppy). Surely from abuse or injury though there have been some younger intellectually disabled dogs that people have successfully cared for?

Thanks SB - must've missed that dog. I was doing other things while trying to watch the tv.

Was Tank the shephard barking inside the house at those teenagers? I had the feeling that the policeman was keeping it in that noisy/aggressive condition to frighten the young people and get them out of hiding. I've been around quite a few ex police dogs now working as security dogs and seen them transform within seconds after a command. Actually there was one who was a sooky la la in the house but once his work gear was on and he was in the back of the van you wouldn't go anywhere near him. Maybe they didn't show Tank getting a command or later getting a stand down alert. I loved the Beagle who took the leaf to the bin!

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My vet sells these vegetarian pigs ears. Don't know exactly what is in them except there is no meat. They are made in some kind of pigs ear mould so they look like the real thing but without the veiny bits. Obviously they taste ok as all 3 of our dogs prefer them over the real thing. 3 for $5!

For over 20 years I have been going to to Beenleigh Vet Hospital (in Beenleigh!). For most of that time I have been seeing the same vet - Dr Renate Atkins. She is a funny german woman who ADORES animals and speaks harshly to you if she thinks you aren't doing the right thing by your pet (one of mine once had fleas - eegads!). She is also a homeopathic vet which has worked well for some of my fur kids over the years. I think they do discounted desexing every Tues or Wed. Their number is 3287 2599.

I have a staffy that came to live with me due to neglect when she was about a year old. As a result of the intial neglect she has had numerous operations over the years - several of which I never thought she'd survive. She is almost 16 now and still going strong despite chronic pancreatitis, diabetes and cancerous growths everywhere. The best thing I ever did 10 years ago (when she was diagnosed with the pancreatitis) is simplify her diet. She eats very controlled amounts of Hills Science WD - dry and wet, twice a day. She has never once turned her nose up at it despite the blandness. She never worries about what the other dogs are eating either. She no longer gets any snacks or leftover bits of toast or fat off the steak or half a biscuit at morning tea time (neither does my other dog). Those things were killing her really and she stopped missing them a long time ago. I have replaced them with talking and pats which do much more for her longevity. Our only problem is her teeth as she can't have any bones and she has never been keen on having them cleaned for her. I do however give her vegetarian pigs ears every now and then which doesn't make her sick and helps with her teeth a little.

Hey you two! I have spent a lot less on vet fees patching up after scraps since paying for my amichien bonding lady! And even my vet has been impressed with the changes in the dogs and asked me for her details. She actually works every day at the Animal Welfare League. She was the right person for us.....

If it aint broken???????

PoodleFan you don't actually eat any of it! You just lift the plate/bowl to your face and make noises and gestures like you are eating (actually it is called gesture eating, not token eating). The other thing is you give them half the amount and then top up their bowls while they are eating. We can now feed all 3 in a row with no problems and the husky, who has always been a slow eater, eats at a normal pace because I guess some anxiety around eating is removed. It is like they all feel safer because we are being true alphas and they are obedient to their own capacities and to an acceptable level for our pack. I never expected the changes to be so sudden and easy but was at wits end (having tried several other pieces of advice from behaviouralists about ostracising the naughty dog). This worked for food, contact and toy aggression between our 3 fur babies and it was so simple to implement and stick with. I would use this approach again in a flash but appreciate it wont work for all dogs or owners - I don't think any one thing will - trial and error is what we went through as well.

Through circumstance we ended up with 3 rescue dogs - 10 week female staffy, 6 year old female husky/shepherd cross and a 14 year old desexed female staffy. When the youngest was about 6 months of age the fights started. Over food, attention, toys. My vet advised it was the youngest coming into sexual maturity so we got her desexed. We still had some terrible fights and the old girl was the worst, I guess trying to keep her place in the pack. We would get the dogs apart and she would go for it again not wanting to lose a fight. It was just horrible to experience and I have also been bitten badly on my digits while trying to seperate the two staffies. The husky/shepherd normally withdrew herself and her long fur saved her from any serious wounds, but the other two had several vet visits. So we got in a dog whisperer for $200 (amichien bonding). Best money we ever spent! We were taught to think like dog packs. Now each dog looks to us as the alphas and not each other. They were more confident and less stressed straight away. We have reinforced the food comes and can be withdrawn from us so there is no point fighting between themselves when we control it. We did this token eating of their food before giving it to them. We still do it from time to time to remind them we are the alphas and they eat when we tell them they will eat (as it would be in a wild pack). The other big thing we did was to give our dog pack roles and to reinforce them. Even though the roles might seem silly they support each dogs personality so in fact we are telling the dogs what is ok by praising those behaviours and ignoring what isn't. As an example the youngest is the inquisitive/investigator and the husky is the guard dog, while the old dog is the comforter. So if all 3 bark to alert us of danger only the husky is rewarded. If the young one is being naughty she is removed from a negative situation but if she is being inquisitive for the rest of the pack's benefit then she is rewarded. As an example she found and killed a snake in the house and we all made a huge deal of it. When she stalks and kills pillows or her special toys she quickly learns that we don't approve. We do give her things specifically to destroy (because she has that need) and she knows the difference. Our dogs would still be considered spoilt (sleep on the bed etc) but we have more structure around everything and obviously more control. Plus happier dogs. So basically your dogs are all at the bottom of the pack and you are on top. It is up to you as pack leader to enforce that, not let them sort it out themselves. They should worship the ground you walk on and look to you for everything - not to themselves.