Dog_Horse_Girl

Jodie I am so pleased at Ollie dog's resilience (and yours, just quietly). Well done to you both and to Hamish too. Please keep the updates going... :D

Yes, if you begin with the right training. Re-direct him to dig where you want him to dig, by giving him a sandpit and putting lots of interesting toys and food treats in it. How many activity toys has he got every day? How often do you rotate them? And how many training sessions are you doing every day? How many walks does he get each week and do you take him to the same place or do you vary it sometimes? All the above will help. Doing nothing will harm the dog and your relationship as he's looking to you for guidance and the right things to keep him occupied. If he's not getting that, as you've seen he WILL make his own fun and that could hurt him.

Is there a specific reason you can't put him in with you at 5.30 when he wakes? This is probably all he wants, time with his family. Our three dogs are very spoilt but they have boundaries. Our tiny dog sleeps in with us, the other two are gated out in the hallway but come in for cuddles most mornings. Dogs are pack animals after all, and they just want our company. :D

Best to take her as soon as possible LM. The important thing is to not let her overheat during the episode and keep her out of harms way during the seizure. No need to hold her or turn her over, just let her go through it, keep her cool and be there when she comes out of it with gentle patting and soothing tones. Yep, we talked it over this evening and have decided that we'll get Molly in tomorrow, as Ruby's got to go back for X-rays anyway...I suppose it's better to have these things happen now than in say, the middle of Central Australia, or while they're in the boarding kennels. I just can't believe it took so long for me to twig something was up. I'd rather have the peace of mind in doing whatever we can before Wednesday (when they go to the kennels here), than worry all the way to Darwin that something serious could happen...I'm a worry-wart as it is. :D

Thanks j...me too. :D

Of course, as long as it's on or before Wednesday! Would love to see you before we leave. The house gets packed up on Thursday...and we are pretty busy between now and then with various things. Unfortunately, Ruby is going back to the vet tomorrow as her limp hasn't improved overall, but Molly is also going. She's had a few seizures in quick succession and I've only really just begun to understand what is going on...she's most likely epileptic. ;) With the move, the stress, the trip ahead, and the two stays the dogs will have in boarding (here and Darwin), we just can't chance not having the dogs in the best shape possible and with the medication/s they need. Poor Molly seems to have been having seizures for a few months at least...but I didn't really pick up on it until I watched varicool's youtube video this afternoon. It all makes sense now. I'll PM my numbers... ;)

Wow, I've just read through the entire thread. I suspect Molly may be epileptic too. She has had a few episodes and after watching Harvey's video (thanks Vari for posting it up), I'm fairly certain Molly is having seizures. I'll be getting her to a vet once we move and settle in. She obviously isn't bothered by the seizures but it certainly scares me.

In Canberra, the dogs are boarding from Wednesday to Saturday morning. In Darwin, it will be from arrival until we move into a house, which might only be a week or much longer, depending on how quickly we find a place to live. I did think of asking our vet if we could board her there but I think she would be better staying with Lilly and Molly - vet clinics freak her out. I think if the limp is bad tomorrow, we will get her in for X-rays...she's had crate rest today and is doing better than yesterday. I can only hope this does the trick. This is hopefully the last move for a while...but we said that last time.

I think I spoke too soon. Even though she's had a dose of rimadyl today, the limp is as bad as ever. She won't put much/any weight on it at all. They go to the kennels on Wednesday b/c of the move. It's going to be horrible knowing she's not well and not being with her.

The rimadyl is helping. Although she's still limping, she's not in so much pain - thank goodness. :D

After a while on the road, you kinda get into 'the zone'... kinda like a sedative... ;) ;) I also took the opportunity to get some sedatives for Ruby b/c she gets motion sickness. But like you TB, I've got my eye on them! I am SO stressed right now. :p I just want to hit the road to escape the madness here. The removalist is being a pain in the bum (paid for by OH's work so they don't give a toss); we haven't heard from the car transport company that is shipping OH's car up for us; Ruby is sick; OH is away; house is a mess and so am I. ;) ;) ;) I just want the whole thing over.

We leave Saturday week. But the dogs go to the kennel on Wednesday - that's our last day at home. The meds are helping already but she's not weight-bearing much at all. And she's so not a wuss so I know she must be in LOTS of pain. She actually yelped a few times today...now that's severe pain for this dog.

No definitive answer but it is the knee as I had suspected. It could be the cruciate ligament or it could be that she dislocated it slightly and it popped back in by itself. We have some rimadyl for now. If that doesn't help, we go back Monday for X-rays. If she needs surgery, obviously this will be done after the move. We had a great vet in Darwin previously but let's hope the rimadyl does the trick. I don't need any more stress ATM...ARGH!

Well, Ruby has been limping for a few days now. Today she's not able to bear any weight and flinched/yelped when I tried to move her paw up to inspect the pad. She's about to see the vet b/c she's a tough bugger normally...wish us luck. I'm hoping it's just a touch of arthritis but she may have a luxating patella as we do know her knees aren't great. We're moving next week. Why does this sh*t always happen when you're already stressed over something else?

How ddo you attack the dog to your belt and does it piddle on your shoe then? To attach the dog to your belt, either loop the leash around your belt or use a double-ended lead and clip it around your waist. The dog doesn't pee on your shoe if you're watching it, which is the point of having the dog leashed to your body.

You need to go back to the beginning with house training. This means confine the dog when you can't supervise, and have the dog with you inside attached to your belt so you can supervise and take him/her out when you see the first signs of wanting to toilet. If the dog isn't with you, confine...this could be in a hard-floor room, a crate or puppy pen, or outside...whatever you prefer. But don't have the pup crated more than a couple of hours at a time - this isn't fair on the dog. You must also re-try a routine for this dog. That means, definite meal time/s. Definite play times. Definite toilet times. Definite sleep times. YOU control what the pup does and when. All dogs need a routine, but for a dog that doesn't yet have toilet training down-pat, it's crucial. IF you want the dog to toilet only outside, it's up to you to enforce and reinforce that idea by taking the dog out, and not coming inside unless the dog toilets if it's been a reasonable interval between toilet stops. Do not play with the dog at these times, and have him/her on lead so it's a quick toilet-only trip to the yard. Praise the right behaviour and ignore the undesired behaviour. That is, reward the behaviour you would like, but do not react in any way if the dog toilets inside.

This is where puppy school comes into its own. A good puppy school will teach you how to help your puppy through normal pup behaviours and tackle the more common training issues. Learning about training, and maintaining physical control over your pup until he is trained to be more reliable in his behaviours, are the two most important things you can do to help your pup through his babyhood, into adolescence and into maturity. I'd suggest keeping him on-lead when outside; playing with him somewhere other than the yard (if you have a large family room or similar, that's a good alternative); and teaching him the basics now. That's sit, come, wait and leave it. Four basic commands that are easy to teach and may save your pup's life. :D

Polly is gorgeous! And yep, her weight looks just fine.

The real danger with greyhounds??? You can't stop at just one! Congrats on your new addition...and be a little patient as she learns what it means to be a retiree! But she will learn to adapt to a home environment. Raw meaty bones for the teeth, BTW.

You could try not hanging washing out when the pup is in the yard.

Aine I'm so so so sorry.

Oh, what a gorgeous hound Alice was...run free baby girl! Catch those wascally wabbits!

Ignore this poor advice IMO. Many vets don't know anything about canine nutrition, b/c they don't actually study it to become a vet. Plus they do receive commissions and profits from selling processed foods. I don't use mince of any kind, it's a waste of money IMO. I use the raw meaty bones as they are. 'Recreational bones' are just that: something to keep your dog busy while you're out. You want proper bones for feeding your dog. Chicken parts are good, so are lamb parts (neck, ribs/flap, shank but take the bone away b/c it's too hard), beef (brisket, ribs, spine), roo (all parts), and if your dog tolerates it try some pork but small quantities to begin b/c it can cause nasty side effects (sloppy poo). Also feed offal (organs) and pulverised vegetables and fruit. Give some yoghurt every second or third week. Add some canned fish (sardines and mackerel are great!) every couple of weeks. And that's your basic raw foods diet. Oh, some raw egg from time to time won't hurt either. ;) I've been raw feeding for a number of years, and my greyhound does fantastic on it. All my dogs do great on it, but GHs have sensitive tummies so many processed foods cause upsets. Raw doesn't usually have the same effect.

I found that the worse the infestation the longer it takes for the drops to work. Continue to use the drops for both dogs until both are clear...but if it goes on for another week, I'd be seeing the vet.

:rolleyes: You leave puppies in the crate for 12 hours? My thoughts exactly.