Baxlse

Mia is a slim Chihuahua & she was around 2.5 years old when she was spayed, so I guess I’m just lucky. I try to manoeuvre a waterproof baby blanket under her when she’s sleeping on my bed but she always manages to wriggle her bum off it. I’m quite well trained with the frequent trips outside so I manage to keep her bladder fairly empty which helps since she only seems to leak when she’s fast asleep & her bladder’s full.

I'm not sure about the vet technique being a factor in a lot of cases because from my limited research, leaking in spayed bitches is mostly caused by a weak bladder sphincter muscle which is a hormonal thing (lack of); hence most of treatments are hormone related. Most leaking occurs when this sphincter muscle is relaxed. My bitch was de-sexed at around 2yrs old & started leaking in her sleep at around 5yrs. She doesn't leak when she's awake & I control it mostly by taking her outside to pee every three hours or so because Stilbestrol didn't work for her & she seems to go through long phases of staying fairly dry. She sleeps in her own bed at night with polar fleece blankets that are easy to wash & fast drying.

Varicool, what you have described is exactly what happened to me last November with Mia, my female Chihuahua but a year later & there have been no more episodes that I've witnessed. We were in the park at the time & I thought she'd been bitten by something so of course I panicked & drove like an idiot to the vet, thinking she was dying but she came around in the car & was absolutely fine by the time we got there. I'd never seen a fit before & because I had no idea what had happened to her, I was petrified that she was going to die before I could get her in the clinic door. We had a few blood tests done but nothing showed up so I just keep an eye on her for now & my fingers crossed that it was hopefully a one-off event.

I used the clicker for my Chihuahua boy & as much as I don't want too, I do use the packet treats from the supermarket or pet shop but cut them up into tiny pieces - about the size of half a pea. They are really smelly (that would be all the artificial colours, flavours & preservatives ) so the dogs just love them. Cheese or meat just got all mushed up in my hand or pocket.

Thanks guys. Mjosa, he was a Chihuahua but I don't know what his lineage was so there may have been something else in there somewhere along the way & he had always been a very big boy for a Chihuahua, especially when he was next to my purebred girl who is half his size.

I don’t come in here very often, I find it way too sad & crying at work is not a good look! However, I think enough time has passed to enable me to write my farewell to my beloved little dude, Mick, who passed away on the 30/06/06. To those who knew him, Mick was often described as unique, casual, bold, stubborn, independent, courageous & determined. He was a character who never let anything get him down, even when he went blind, his spirit & mind were still willing & it was always still full steam ahead even though his little body was slowly starting to lose the battle. I think about you every day, little dude & I still struggle with the decision I made to let you go but I know you’re not suffering anymore & that makes losing you just a bit easier to deal with. I hope you find my Sasha at the bridge, you’ll like her, she’s as unique as you are!

I'm very intertested in this too, myszka. I brought my new boy home last Saturday & his breeder assures me she never taught him how to sit but by Sunday afternoon, he would sit on command & I hadn't even shown him how! I've just said it to Mia & he's copied her. I'm quite amazed because you'd swear he's been trained. Mia is also helping me with his housetraining, yay Mia!

Diabetes sufferers do have problems with infections & have very slow healing times. Mick never had open sores or anything like that but he did get recurring ear infections. If anyone is interested, I have a lot of Caninsulin (2.5 ml bottles) left over from Mick who unfortunately passed away last week. It can't be sent because it needs refrigeration but can be picked up from my place, which is about 18kms north of Melbourne CBD. Rozzie, I sent you an email about heart meds from another site, just wondering if you got it?

Hi Deanne, I have a diabetic dog; he was diagnosed just over two years ago & went blind from cataracts shortly after. I also felt very overwhelmed at the prospect of injections, blood glucose curves, urine testing, calorie controlled diet & strict feeding times etc, etc. I found that I just got used to it, I initially hated the thought of stabbing my little man with a needle twice a day but I'm so quick & good with it now & he really does not mind in the slightest, he just sits & waits for me to do it. I found thinner gauged needles at the Chemist which create less scar tissue & go in with a little less pain to him. Unfortunately he is quite ill now from heart failure & may not be with us for much longer but Diabetes by itself is very manageable. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll do just fine. ETA, I was told by my vet that treating with tablets is not really an option because dogs don't respond to tablet therapy the same way humans do, almost all canine diabetes cases are treated with insulin therapy.

Mick takes tablets & capsules twice a day wrapped in a sliver of sliced Devon meat. He just swallows it whole without chewing. If I call out "Mick, pills!!" he comes running as fast as his little legs will take him :D I agree that for a dog who is medicated every day, it does have to be a positive experience

I give my two either Supercoat, Purina or Optimum in the mornings (light formula) & a mix of Nature's Gift canned food with rice & vegies at night. Mick is on a calorie controlled diet for his diabetes. Mia was on a fresh chicken mince mix when I got her & jeez, the smells that came out of that dog! I kept her on it for a little while but it gave her TERRIBLE wind & breath. She also had a very coarse & dry coat when I got her. She is now doing very well on her current diet with no farts & her coat is smooth & shiny

Sorry, bit confused. Is that add pineapple to the food of the dog that is eating poo to stop him craving the poo or adding pineapple to everyone's food so the offending dog finds poo less palatable? If it's the latter, how would pineapple make poo less appealing? Is it acidic or something?

I don't have anything constructive to add, sorry, but will watch to see what pops up Mick does this too, he eats his own, Mia's & next door's cat's BUT he has the awful habit of bringing it inside to munch on the hallway rug Luckily for me he likes it when it's dry & crunchy so I can just get out the dustbuster to clean up the crumbs :p

LB, I'm back from hols now. Not sure if you've posted about this elsewhere but how did Godzy go at the Vets?

I know how you feel, I'm the same with Mick. Little bugger has been with me for so long & been through so much physical adversity but he never ceases to amaze me with his tough little trooper attitude! I'm on leave as of this afternoon but I'll be thinking of Godzy tomorrow & I'm sure he'll be absolutely fine :p

I would have thought maybe an allergy or something stuck up his nose too. How baffling! Mick coughs & sneezes a bit when his heart is bothering him & he gets fluid in his lungs (he then has to go on diuretics) but if Godzy's heart is fine, it's obviously not that. I really hope the good vet can come up with something for you.

Good luck, LB. Could be so many things but I hope it's nothing serious, let us know how Godzy gets on.

Hi again, We did start off on Monotard (1.5 units!) now we're on Caninsulin which we have to give more of, same as you. I'm pretty sure they stopped producing the Monotard which is why we had to change. Mick is doing much better on the Caninsulin but his BG was very low when he went in yesterday so we've reduced his dose & he'll go back in a few weeks. Mick won't eat when he has to stay overnight but is fine for a day stay.

He's just turned 11 which is pretty good considering we thought we were going to lose him last June due to his heart condition. Here he is in the park a few weeks ago, having a fabulous time! Do you do all the urine testing & BGC stuff still or is Kimba well regulated now? Mick goes in for a BGC on Monday. He can also pee on command which is handy but I find the glucose strips to be very inaccurate. I'm off home now, so look forward to chatting some more next week, maybe there'll be some pics of Kimba by then?

Forgot to add that it's good to meet someone else with a diabetic dog too I don't think there are many of us on DOL.... ETA a pic of Mick

Malleerr, I don't think Rimadyl harmed Mick at all & he had been on & off it for the past 10 years or so, it seemed to help with the pain & swelling in his back. It was the steroids that really messed with him, Rimadyl is an NSAID but not a good choice for every dog of course. OS, initially it didn't affect him much at all except for the restricted diet which he still resents but he developed cataracts virtually overnight about 3 months after we started the insulin therapy & is now 100% blind. He's good with his shots & doesn't complain at all but I do wish he could still see. He has coped very well with being blind & still loves running around the park & doing most things, just at a much slower pace than he would like! I make allowances in his daily calorie count to ensure he still gets the odd treat here & there. He has so many health problems that I think it's important that he enjoys the time he has left with us, it's all about quality & not quantity at this stage

I have a diabetic dog too. We think his diabetes was partially caused by a cortisone drug (prednisone) that he was on to help with a heart condition (inflamed trachea from constant cough caused by his enlarged heart) I'm not sure I would touch the cortisone drugs again. He has arthritis too & I tried cartrophen with success the first time but not the second. Apparently Sasha's Blend is meant to be good but I haven't tried it since he seems to be OK atm. I think though, if Mick was nearing the end & I had no choice & had to make him at least feel better until it was time to let him go, I would try just about anything. ETA, Mick has also been on Rimadyl for very short periods on & off for most of his life because of a herniated disc in his spine.

I'm so sorry to hear that. I don't know what else to say but do treasure every extra second of time you have with her. When we thought Mick was going to go last last year, it was soul destroying but I think that every day he's with me now, is a bonus.

Geez, that's a lot of problems! I have a high maintenance dog too, you have my sympathy. Disappointing about her breeder not being interested. Her coat does look lovely, nice & shiny

Just make sure they're purebred Dysons I mean, you wouldn't want them to get mixed up with the wrong crowd, imagine a Dyson x Vax mix. Ugh, you just know they'd come out all Vax orange..... I gave up years ago, I just live with the hair & have resigned myself to the inevitability of eating doghair salad for the next few weeks.