Abandoned Dog

[bonnie22]

Hi there everyone,

I am new to the forum and I just want to know where to start with my dog.She is a Malteese/Dauchsund aprox 12mths old. She needs some treatment.She seems to have a weepy eye and needs a through check-up.I don't know if she has been sterilized,if she has had her shots or what treatment she will need ,such as heartworming,flea treatment. Basically I don't know where to start!!.Her previous owner had a health issue and left her.I took her home with no history and no details.I do know she needs a good scrub and possibly a haircut as she is rather strong on the nose(even with a cold).Poor wee thing.

I want to know what vet to take her to . One that is reasonable and don't cost the earth as we are pensioners.I want to do the best for my dog from now on and give her lots of TLC. There are so many Vets about and that is a big prob to us as we don't know where to start looking. We are in the Kinross area

We would appreciate your help and advice and about grooming her. What is the best.Do we take her to the vet for this also, or do we have someone else to do this?

Hope to hear from you soon,

Cheers, bonnie22

[mumof3]

Hi there everyone,

I am new to the forum and I just want to know where to start with my dog.She is a Malteese/Dauchsund aprox 12mths old. She needs some treatment.She seems to have a weepy eye and needs a through check-up.I don't know if she has been sterilized,if she has had her shots or what treatment she will need ,such as heartworming,flea treatment. Basically I don't know where to start!!.Her previous owner had a health issue and left her.I took her home with no history and no details.I do know she needs a good scrub and possibly a haircut as she is rather strong on the nose(even with a cold).Poor wee thing.

I want to know what vet to take her to . One that is reasonable and don't cost the earth as we are pensioners.I want to do the best for my dog from now on and give her lots of TLC. There are so many Vets about and that is a big prob to us as we don't know where to start looking. We are in the Kinross area

We would appreciate your help and advice and about grooming her. What is the best.Do we take her to the vet for this also, or do we have someone else to do this?

Hope to hear from you soon,

Cheers, bonnie22

Hi Bonnie22 and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will get some very helpful advice from some very knowledgeable people, and hopefully someone can reccommend a vet in your area.

So far as grooming is concerned, personally I would do whatever she allows you to do without stress or protest. Try a warm bath, with some good quality shampoo, and dry her thoroughly with a towel. Make sure you rinse her really well, and put something in the bottom of whatever you bath her in so it is not slippery. If she gets very distressed, perhaps you would be better to get some help from a professional groomer. If possible, I would try to bring her grooming under control so that the vet can have a better look at her. You can try cleaning the weepy eye with a medical strength saline solution and a clean cloth or cotton wool balls. Make sure you use a clean cloth for each eye so you don't transfer bacteria from one eye to the other. If there is an animal shelter in your area, you could call them and explain you are trying to give this poor girl a new home, but you need advice on choosing a vet, and ask if they can help, or if they even might now where discounted services may be available for a situation like this dogs. I would certainly take her to a vet for a general check up and information on how to keep her. If veterinary treatment is something that you may struggle to afford in the future, please consider carefully wether you are truly able to handle the possible expenses of taking on this little dog permanently. Well done picking up this little dog and all the very best of luck with her.

[becks]

I'd get her booked in with a local groomer ad they can advise you on the best way to care for her coat and trim it if necessary as well as give her a bath and check her ears as they probably need plucking and a good clean too. Also ask them which vets they recommend - groomers tend to hear who are good vets and who charges stupid money. Then get her booked into a vet asap for a thorough check over and they can tell you if she has been desexed or not and give her vaccination and wormers.

[persephone]

Bonnie22 - make sure the little dog is registered in your name - if she is microchipped, the details will need changing, too.

AS you are on fixed income- I would suggest looking at pet insurance - that way if she does suddenly get ill/injured, you won't have to part with huge sums of money all at once!

best of luck with your little girl

[Genabee]

Hello,

I used to live in Perth and one of the best vets we could find (my parents still use and my sister now also uses, after a couple of disasterous attempts elsewhere) is 'My Best Friend Vet Clinic' in Leederville (end of Oxford Street). We went through a few vets before coming across this one. They don't charge the earth, are very good at explaining all your options to you and don't push things on to you and your dog. And I've never seen an animal in there that hasn't acted like it was a party and the staff love them!!! Off the top of my head I don't think they do grooming there (but they may have changed).

A good groomer is 'Designer Dogs' in Michael Street in Yokine. Mindy, the lady that owns the place, is very thorough. I know she goes the extra mile and does things like checks their anal glands, plucks inside their ears if they need it and is very good at getting in between their paws. A couple of times she drew our attention to minor issues with Aurora (maltese x shit zu), that we were able to nip in the bud. Again, we have used other groomers, but we ended up going back to Mindy as other groomers weren't as thorough. And she always came home looking and smelling beautiful and was a happy dog! You will need to book in quick with her though, as she is popular.

As has already been suggested, I would try to give her a bath at home, then go to the vet. I don't know if I would be taking her to a groomer without confirming she is fully vaccinated, as she is likely to mingle with other dogs, where she may catch something if she isn't fully immunised.

I hope you are able to have the little one all cleaned up and have a new friend for life!

Edited to add: I re-read your post and realised you live in Kinross. I know Yokine/Leederville is a bit of a hike for you. I'm not familiar with vet clinic that way, but I am sure there are some good ones!!

Edited July 25, 2010 by Wizzle

[Pepper and Jax]

I have heard on the grapevine that Ocean Reef vets are very good. But I've never been there so cannot confirm this recommendation or provide an opinion on prices/ services etc. Good luck!

[Brennan's Mum]

I ditto the suggestion for Pet insurance. There are a few around so it pays to check them all out