Kazm

My Molly hates being brushed but I tell her it's all part of being born a schnauzer. Lol She puts up a good argument but never wins. Maybe I should put a bowl of food in front of her as a distraction. Maybe that would work. She loves food.

All men must be the same Pandi-girl. My hubby wouldn't put up with it either. Yes, I agree, look after yourself R. You really do sound like you have your hands full.

Know where you're coming from. I'm currently dealing with a sick little girl who has never shown pain. Some are just too tough for their own good. Best wishes to you

Personally I think I would get it looked at. I'm just a bit paranoid about lumps on doggies. Better to be safe than sorry I think.

Poor little Ingrid. Thinking of you. She might be 15 but it's still never long enough.

She is so gorgeous. Good luck with her new diet. I hope it gives her extra time as well as quality of life towards the end. And thanks. My Zena is a toughie. Always has been. Only ever heard her yelp once in her life and that's when the cat pushed her off our bed. Lol. Oh, the memories I have. She's not having such a good day today.

Very interesting reading. I always wondered what the purpose of the dew claw was. Learn something new every day. We were actually going to have our little girls removed last year when we had her desexed but at the last minute we got soft and changed our minds. The only reason we were considering it was because the little sod jumps up and sometimes she kind of grabs our legs and in summer time her dew claws can scratch us quite badly. Even though I do trim her nails. We just now try to stop her jumping up as much.

Hope all went well with your holistic vet visit Tassie. I'm kind of sorry I actually didn't try something like that right from the beginning but we were given such a bad prognosis and no one expected her to stay with us for very long at all. Nobody even suggested trying anything. And I guess we were kind of shell shocked. If we ever have to go down this wretched path again I will be a different person. By the time I'd done my research we all knew it was too late. Even though she is still with us. She's done a good job all on her own. Hopefully you will have some good times and plenty of them still with your girl. What's her name if you don't mind me asking?

I can understand how hard it must be to function as you say. We have a very sick little miss at present and are getting close to having to say goodbye to her. It will be one of the hardest decisions we have to make. She is going to be terribly missed. I am fortunate to be able to stay at home with my little girls. Zena ( mum dog ) and Molly ( her daughter). Zena has been such a life loving, fun little girl who had so much energy until recently and has been constantly with me 24/7. She has always loved to be where ever I am. Still does. Can't even go to the toilet by myself. Lol. Whenever we sit on the lounge she'll be right there by our side, needing to touch one of us and yes she sleeps with us too. So her absence is going to be like a huge hole in our lives. I am also extremely worried about Molly. She has never been away from her mum and they do have an incredible bond. I just worry about her missing her mum and hope that she pulls through it all ok. Us as well. Thinking of you

Hey alibi as you know from reading my posts my girl was given just barely a month but here we are 7 weeks along and she just won't give up. I have spoken to all vets that have seen her and they all say the same. Operating is not an option. They all agree too that she shouldn't still be here and that makes it so hard as on her really good days I find myself doubting them but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do. These last few weeks I agree with you, have been so much of a struggle getting her to eat. And yes it's so stressful. I can't think of anything else. I don't sleep well at night and feel sick in the stomach with constant worry. It really is a horrible time. And my fridge has so many little containers of left over food. Food that she did want and may want again but probably won't. Every time she gets a bit low I mentally decide that the time has come and it's just like she's a mind reader as she perks up again and while she walks ok and wags her little tail at us and snuggles in for a cuddle there is no way we can do it. Sorry to hear of your loss and the troubles you went through due to this horrible disease.

What a cutie. I am sorry to hear of your loss. He sounds like he was a great little guy. I think when you have a four legged friend who spends so much time with you and wanting to sit by or on you you feel the loss of their presence so much. Take care and treasure all the memories you have of him. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Sorry to hear that your girl is not well and I feel so much for you heading into this awful situation too. It's absolutely terrible and it takes too many of our 4 legged friends. For some reason my girl is just not giving up. Last Friday we thought was the day but within an hour of thinking that, she had perked up again and she spent a great weekend with us and some of her favourite people. Monday just gone she was so good nobody would have thought much was wrong with her but today she is so much quieter again and food is an issue. She has started to lose weight and that's not good. She is still a determined little thing though but we honestly don't believe she can give us much more and we are really starting to think. We can not allow her to suffer. It has now been 7 weeks. We were told barely a month but that's my girl. Just love her too much. We know that we are possibly down to her last days, even though I'm sure I've said that before, but it is so damn hard. She looks at us and wags her tail and you just wonder. Sorry, but I really am struggling. Take care Tassie. Best wishes to you and your family and hugs to your special girl. I hope when she goes it is peaceful.

I agree westiemum. Whenever I give mine the dry food I always call it 'junk food' night. I also highly believe in a varied diet. I always ask my puppy buyers if they would like to eat the same food for every meal.

Everyone has their own opinions naturally but I feed my girls fresh food. Commercial food does not impress me at all. Chicken necks, wings,chick. fillets, eggs, small amount of kangaroo meat, veges, rice and pasta. Some sardines and occasionally dry food and bones twice a week. When you get your pup I would check what the breeder has been feeding and continue on with that and gradually wean it onto whatever you choose.

Wow. Cool. What a bunch of cuties. Nice job!!!

Yes I agree it's very important for breeders to answer any emails as soon as they can. Hopefully it is the weather. As a breeder I checked all emails and answered promptly and with as much info as I could. I only encountered "problems" when I would receive emails asking specific questions and asking for photos to be sent through. I spent a lot of time answering emails and sending lots of photos and then never getting a response I found that quite annoying. A quick thank you for your time and effort doesn't go astray either. I believe in being nice and helping everyone. Especially if they are looking for a fur ever friend. But some people just don't respond quickly to emails so I would just phone them and have a bunch of questions ready to ask. Good luck to you

So sorry to hear about Ernie. We have a very sick little girl at present and are fast approaching the day to say " see you later " never goodbye. I know that it's going to hurt like hell for a very long time. Take care Ernies mum. Thinking of you.

So sorry to read your story Dave. 3 dogs to this is just horrible and a 5 year old too. Wow. That is way too young. I feel for you. This is our second dog to lose to cancer. Our little man was 10 and a half and had lymphoma. It took him very quickly. Zena is just 9. We have Molly who is 5 and I really worry about what her future holds. I would love for her to just grow into an old lady. I so hope we don't go down this road again.

You are probably right. Some dogs I guess wouldn't and it probably comes down to how they are raised I guess. My two have been known to jump on a visitors lap before for attention. I think they sit and study the person first and then the friendship is sealed with a lap cuddle. My Molly doesn't even ask most times. She just takes a flying leap onto the poor unsuspecting visitor. Yes, she does have the occasional bad manners but most of our visitors don't mind and feel honoured by it.

I agree with setting up an area with playpen panels. I do that myself. I often dogsit for friends and I have noticed a few of the boys will want to pee inside. Usually against my dining chair legs. I figure they must be able to smell the others that have been inside. So now i make an area for them and all is good. And if I do catch them they get roused at and sent outside for a while. I too realise this would only be a short term fix for you but yes saving your sanity comes first and training afterwards. Good luck

Just wondering what everyone's opinion is regarding dog cuddles. I recently read somewhere that dogs really don't enjoy humans wrapping their arms around them for a cuddle. I tend to disagree. My two little girls have always loved cuddles. At any time of the day I can call them and say "come for cuddles" and they both come over and as I crouch down ( they are mini schnauzers ) they put their front feet on my leg and then let me wrap my arms around them. If they both come we have " group" cuddles. At other times it seems like they seek me out and if I ask them if they want a cuddle they wag their tail ever so fast. Naturally I bend down and hug them. Even first thing in the morning as we all wake up and yes they do sleep with us, I call them over for a cuddle and they will come and lay in our arms, resting their heads against us. Yes, my girls are very spoilt but they return the affection two fold. Spoilt but obedient and know their place.

I find comfortis to be an excellent product. If my girls start to scratch more than they should I generally have a quick look for the offending fleas but never see any but I pop them a pill anyway and they seem to stop pretty much straight away. We have a cat that may share her little friends. I'm not a fan of the flea liquids like advantage etc as they really need to be used consistently where as the comfortis tablets can be used whenever the occasion arises.

Thanks heaps T and PK. Much appreciated. And yes I have had that talk with her telling her it's fine for her to want to leave. I've told her Molly will be well looked after and that we'll be ok too. Eventually. She also knows that my little boy Arnie is there waiting to see her again plus a few cats she knew. And thanks T, she loves hugs and I will tell her to be on the look out for your 2 beloveds. I have told her it's a happy place where the grass is soft and green and the sun always shines. She has always been my sun goddess and loves nothing better than stretching out in the sun on a winters day. I have told her there will be lots of puppies for her to play with and maybe they will show her where a stash of bones are. And it's going to be a place of no pain and suffering. We are so not ready for this. She actually looked a little brighter yesterday afternoon and did eat a little bit which did surprise me. This morning she's up and wandering around. Slowly but not too bad. I'm not glossing things over either. Still know in our hearts it's happening soon. Just not today.

I have 2 schnauzer girls and feed them chicken necks, wings and fillets. Once a week a small amount of roo meat. Sardines, vegetables, rice and pasta. Cottage cheese and scrambled eggs. Plus some dry food. And bones at least twice a week. And whatever treats they can coax out of me. I believe in a big variety and fresh is best. I don't have any problems with what food I offer as schnauzers love food. All food. Lol

I think we are nearly there now. It is so hard to write. We knew this time was so close but it doesn't make it any easier. We haven't made "the decision" just yet but we do know now it will probably be only a matter of days, maybe a week but that might be too long for her. Who knows, my special girl might surprise us again but my heart is telling me different. We had an awesome weekend with her. Friday was a great day at home where she was quite active and very happy spending time outside with me and her daughter Molly. On Saturday we took her to visit friends who bought 2 of her pups. They are now 5 and 3. Big schnauzer boys. Beautiful boys. Molly had heaps of fun playing with her brothers while Zena was happy to watch from a comfy chair. She was super excited to go for the car ride as well as visiting these brilliant friends. Sunday was another great day spent at home following her "dad" while he worked in the shed. She even ate quite well for those few days. Monday and yesterday though she was noticeably more tired and gone off food again. A bowl of ice cream for dinner last night. This morning is the first that we are not going for a short walk. She really doesn't look up to it. Honestly I think she looks a little sad. We are having one of her boys over today so I can give him a grooming session so I am hoping that brightens her up a little. I wish her good moments could continue on but that's being selfish. It's going to be a tough week!!!