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Butt Reactor posted:We've been puppy shopping for a little bit and this little dude popped up: Puppies from pet stores are all from puppy mills. All of them. They are bad places and you should not support them with your money. I've met pet store berners and they generally have sketchy temperaments and terrible health problems. If you've done your research and really want a berner you should find a reputable breeder. When I was looking at the breed years ago the bernese club of america had a good program for connecting people to breeders that fit their needs. They'll still be happy little cancer factories because that's just what the breed is right now but at least they will have testing for joint problems and things that can be bred away from. Spend some find on the breed club website and find a dog from a breeder or rescue. Don't support pet stores that sell puppies. Instant Jellyfish fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Oct 11, 2019 |
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Oct 11, 2019 16:03
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Teddi has grown up so much.  When I got him back in April:  Today:  Bonus back scratching action:  Giardia has reared it's ugly head again. We're continuing a four month long pattern of him getting a test for it, being put on meds, being tested again and declared cured, and then coming down with it again a couple days later. At this point my vet gave us two options: take him off of any meds that would negatively affect his GI flora and let it and his immune system grow and learn to deal with it on it's own, or move away from my current apartment complex where likely every dog here is infected with it, but asymptomatic. So, time to play the waiting game I guess. My vet recommended I start mixing some Bob's Redmill Fiber into his food, and that's helped a ton in bulking him up. Hopefully his immune system can catch up soon, though, because he's been pretty tired otherwise. 
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Oct 12, 2019 00:49
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Instant Jellyfish posted:Puppies from pet stores are all from puppy mills. All of them. They are bad places and you should not support them with your money. I've met pet store berners and they generally have sketchy temperaments and terrible health problems. If you've done your research and really want a berner you should find a reputable breeder. When I was looking at the breed years ago the bernese club of america had a good program for connecting people to breeders that fit their needs. They'll still be happy little cancer factories because that's just what the breed is right now but at least they will have testing for joint problems and things that can be bred away from. Thanks, this was pretty helpful. I called and promptly  ed when they told me the price for the dog. We’re gonna check out that site and see if there’s any breeders nearby 
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Oct 12, 2019 01:04
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What do you guys think of This or This? The first one kinda smells of backyard breeder but at least the second one has a legit website?
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Oct 14, 2019 15:18
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MadFriarAvelyn posted:Teddi has grown up so much. my corgo had to deal with giardia constantly for the first year he did finally stop repeatedly eating poop and getting himself sick after that though
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Oct 14, 2019 16:30
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What are some good resources for a first time dog owner who’s interested in adopting a senior dog? Most of the resources I’ve found are for first time owners adopting puppies or assume that you’ve lived with a dog at some point, and neither of these things apply to me! There’s no urgency, I’m not adopting for another couple of years, I just want to start preparing since I’ll be starting from a place of very little dog knowledge. (I’m interested in seniors because they are supposed to be lower energy and I don’t think I’ll want a 14 year commitment, but a 6 year commitment is fine!)
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Oct 14, 2019 17:36
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be good and try hard! 
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Hug in a Can posted:What are some good resources for a first time dog owner who’s interested in adopting a senior dog? Most of the resources I’ve found are for first time owners adopting puppies or assume that you’ve lived with a dog at some point, and neither of these things apply to me! While I don't have what you're looking for, both the OP of this thread and the OP of the dog training thread are just good general resources to be familiar with if you're adopting a dog of any age. Also going off of living with my aging cats until they passed, watch out for dogs who can't jump up steps/into couches/beds, watch out for house training breaking down as their bladder control fails, and make sure they can stay warm and comfortable.
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Oct 14, 2019 17:43
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My family generally adopts seniors, and they're wonderful. You're doing a good thing, as they often get overlooked. One benefit to a senior dog is, from my experience at least, is often they've been a family dog for 8-10 years and circumstances are what's changed. They're not abandoned or sent to the pound because of behavior issues, but because of a divorce, an owner death, or children coming into the mix a lot of the time. Obviously the older ones are likely to start getting health issues, but if you talk with a rescue you can often 'foster to adopt' where their medical bills will be taken care of and you'll have first option to adopt if other people become interested. Puppies are great for other people to own, and you to just hang around with when it suits you to coo over them. I love the slower pace of an older beast who just wants to hang around and sleep near me.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:10
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Butt Reactor posted:What do you guys think of This or This? The first one kinda smells of backyard breeder but at least the second one has a legit website? The first is just a craigslist specifically for bybs, the second is an individual byb. If you're going to shell out for a purposely bred dog at least look for health testing, imo. Champion bloodlines, AKC registration, vet checked etc really don't mean anything. You want OFA or Pennhip or CERF testing results. Otherwise just look for an owner rehome or a rescue. Berners are getting really popular and people often don't realize that they're giant and shed everywhere and drool so rehoming situations are getting more common and breed rescues get them pretty regularly. Hug in a Can posted:What are some good resources for a first time dog owner who's interested in adopting a senior dog? Love Has No Age Limits by Patricia B. McConnell and Karen B. London and Do Over Dogs by Pat Miller are both supposed to be good.
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Oct 15, 2019 03:45
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I can’t remember if it was this thread or the dog pics thread but I got my results for napoleons dna today!  Someone called the Weimaraner spot on! All this equals one good doggo  If anyone wants to have their own Supermutt Embark is super easy and I’d recommend it.
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Oct 16, 2019 09:08
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Are yorkies just great spider catchers considering their terrier pedigree? I swear my puppy has been a more effective spider hunter in a month than both my cats in their lifetimes.
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Oct 25, 2019 19:41
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Protocol7 posted:Are yorkies just great spider catchers considering their terrier pedigree? I swear my puppy has been a more effective spider hunter in a month than both my cats in their lifetimes. Dunno about yorkies, but Apollo (a GSD/husky mix from a shelter so I'm not 100% on what he is) will hunt ANY bug or spider that intrudes in his living room. Or yard. Ant? He'll get it. Daddy long-legs? Yes please. Grasshopper? Yes!
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Oct 25, 2019 20:07
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StrixNebulosa posted:Dunno about yorkies, but Apollo (a GSD/husky mix from a shelter so I'm not 100% on what he is) will hunt ANY bug or spider that intrudes in his living room. Or yard. Ant? He'll get it. Daddy long-legs? Yes please. Grasshopper? Yes! My cats, if they're awake enough to even notice a spider, will just bat it around at best. Which makes it a pain in the rear end as I hunt down a tissue or shoe or something to squash it with. But man, if the dog notices a bug... it's gone. In his mouth. Dead, eaten.
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Oct 25, 2019 23:11
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I need Apollo to stop eating grass because it means later I get to notice him nosing at his butt and when I check there's a poo-encrusted blade of grass sticking out of it that I have to pull out. Gross. He's not even eating a lot of it, he just grazes here and there when he walks. 
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Oct 26, 2019 02:58
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My dog always runs to me in a panic when she has any kind of butt dangly. I suppose it's better than the alternatives. Usually when she starts in on some grass during walks, it's because she's getting tired and is trying to slow down. She gets back with the program if I start bouncing around and acting excited to hype her up.
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Oct 26, 2019 03:32
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Teddi will sort of panic and flail around whenever he has a butt dangly in an attempt to fling it out. I will admit I'm pretty impressed when he can fling a foot long turd a meter away when he can't get it out in his normal squat.
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Oct 26, 2019 03:35
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Sherlock freezes.
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Oct 27, 2019 17:28
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How can I get my two little dogs more accustomed to opossums, and not freak out at them? We have a thriving opossum population and I love them, but my dogs don't. I don't think the dogs actually attack them, they just get really close and terrorize the poor things, and I have to go break up a close encounter like once a week. I want to help them coexist! The only thing I've tried so far is making the dogs sit at a safe distance and look at the opossum, and reward them for being calm while in close proximity to one. Should I just keep doing that? smoobles fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Oct 27, 2019 |
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Oct 27, 2019 22:55
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This doesn't sound terribly different from what we had to do with getting Lady to stop reacting as strongly to our cat and the deer that populate the neighborhood. Rewarding quiet observation is the thing to do, it's just very slow going, especially when (as with the critters) you can't guarantee an encounter. As the quiet observation gets better, you can introduce basic obedience commands (look at you, sit, whatever) to get the pooches to learn that paying attention to the critters, even quietly, isn't the best. We're maybe 4 months in with the dog, and she's learned to ignore the cat if he isn't being particularly interesting. She's almost always content to just watch deer without much charging, which is better than she was. The usual pattern is for her to quietly observe the deer for a good 30 or 60 seconds, then we move along. Same pattern if she finds something particularly interesting to stick her snoot in, really.
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Oct 27, 2019 23:16
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We've been rewarding our pup for sitting quietly and watching little kids, and while she's still easily startled by them, she doesn't always bark her fool head off whenever they're nearby anymore.
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Oct 28, 2019 00:12
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Weird question, have any of you guys ever have strangers offer to buy your dog? I have some sort of hound mix, not sure exactly what but people always guess pointer/beagle/pit mix (doggo). She's ~55 lbs, has a nice shiny coat and gets a lot of exercise, so she's fairly muscular and just generally a healthy looking 6 year old girl. One or maybe two times walking around my neighborhood (city) I've had people say, "I'll buy your dog!" and I always just laughed it off like a joke. This weekend I went hiking, walked by some much older gentleman (60+ I'd guess) and he was like, "Wow! That's a beautiful dog! I've been trying to find a Pointer / American Foxhound and they're hard to come by" - just said thanks and kept walking. Got to the end of the trail, turned back and when I came across him again he just proclaims, "I want that dog - I'll give you $200 for it" I was so taken back, I just said "It'd be a lot more than that" as in, "it'd take a lot more than that to make me ever consider selling my dog" and he replied "I bet it was" as if I meant "she cost more than $200 therefore I wouldn't sell her for that" It was just a really weird experience, and that guy definitely wasn't joking to the point it's made me think the previous people weren't joking either. I wouldn't say it spooked me or anything, but I've seen videos/news articles of people just stealing other peoples' dogs over the years and I've had some anxiety since this happened about all the times I've left the dog tied up outside the grocery store while I run to buy 1 thing. Sab669 fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Oct 28, 2019 |
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Oct 28, 2019 15:36
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I've had people ask me to give them my dog (usually little kids), but I've run into one weirder. An older woman, slightly senile looking, once stopped her car on the street next to Teddi and I while we were out for a walk, rolled down her window, and told me that she "wants to be my dog." Yes. Be my dog. I asked her to repeat herself and everything. 
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Oct 28, 2019 16:05
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Hahaha that's definitely a unique one. I'm not sure if would have been flattered they think I take such good care of my dog, or scared.
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Oct 28, 2019 16:45
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I've never heard of anyone just straight-up offering to buy a dog off of someone. That's definitely weird, and I don't blame you for feeling anxious about leaving the dog unattended. But more importantly, we need to see the dog! You can't humblebrag about how awesome your dog is and then not provide pictures!
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Oct 28, 2019 16:50
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:But more importantly, we need to see the dog! You can't humblebrag about how awesome your dog is and then not provide pictures! He linked to a photo in the post. Good dog confirmed.
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Oct 28, 2019 16:52
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Just thought I'd share my girl's Halloween costume. We stuck that Slimer in to help her grab some votes for a FB costume contest for the daycare she goes to, but whoever runs their social media forgot to include her and now some other, lesser dog is like 80 votes ahead. She ran around in costume for a good two hours at our party without trying to eat her little sleeves though, and more importantly, she was surprisingly calm and polite around a houseful of guests. So her first Halloween has been a big success.
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Oct 28, 2019 17:19
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Some people are really, really weird about dog breeds, so I can totally see someone being weird and wanting to buy a random dog off the street. You're a weirdo and a bit rude for wanting to buy someone's beloved pet, but it doesn't seem that strange to me with all the dog crazies out there.
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Oct 28, 2019 17:57
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EL BROMANCE posted:He linked to a photo in the post. Good dog confirmed. Oh, my mistake, the link slipped past me. Agreed, good dog confirmed.
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Oct 28, 2019 18:43
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Sorry if this is the wrong place or what have you, but looking for some people who have experience with Cushings Disease in their dogs. Took my dog in today for bloodwork and vet called back and said it's most likely Cushing's (apparently his liver level is ~2000?). He's going in for more bloodwork Wednesday to confirm and then discuss treatment, but I'm just wonder if anyone has any experience with it that they'd be willing to share. Wondering what to expect as I intend to get him on whatever medication they say he should get, and hoping he can still live a good life.
Gringo Heisenberg fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Oct 28, 2019 |
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Oct 28, 2019 22:53
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Gringo Heisenberg posted:Sorry if this is the wrong place or what have you, but looking for some people who have experience with Cushings Disease in their dogs. Took my dog in today for bloodwork and vet called back and said it's most likely Cushing's (apparently his liver level is 2000). He's going in for more bloodwork Wednesday, but I'm just wonder if anyone has any experience with it that they'd be willing to share. Wondering what to expect as I intend to get him on whatever medication they say he should get, and hoping he can still live a good life. I've had 2 dogs with cushings, though one died shortly after we found out, the other lived for probably a year or so after diagnosis. The second dog had a tumor on the adrenal gland which is a bit more rare than the pituitary form, though I think the medication is very similar. Going through the cycle of finding medication levels sucks, it will take a toll on your buddy as well as you, be prepared for low energy, vomiting, diarrhea and expensive medication. There were good days and bad, we eventually got to the point where the medication had damaged/destroyed his adrenal gland and so he had the opposite problem that we started with. Overall it was a rough month or two to start, then pretty good, up until the last month or so, he faded VERY quickly when we go to the end. How old is your dog and what breed? First dog of ours was around 12-13 and the second was 11-12 when he was diagnosed. Really, sorry to hear your bud has it, hopefully you can still get some good time together.
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Oct 28, 2019 23:10
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He's about 12, mix breed of best guess Lhasa Apso and Bichon. He's still very active and seems happy, just had had surgery in Feb for a torn meniscus and ligaments on one of his legs (did great in recovery). Hopefully he doesn't have as rough a time finding a treatment plan  . Hopeful that we can find a treatment plan for him, because aside from that he just seems so healthy and I want to give him a nice, long, happy life still. Thanks for your post.
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Oct 28, 2019 23:20
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My mother in laws got diagnosed with Cushings aged around 10. That was 2 years ago and the medication pretty much normalized him straight away. My dog got out of surgery earlier and she’s such a drooling confused mess. Also I’m sure the people waiting at the vets had a good laugh at me trying to carry a 70 pound basset hound to the car.
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Oct 28, 2019 23:25
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Well that's a bit comforting . The vet on the phone (called me like 30 minutes after I left with test results) today seemed to be pretty positive, saying that if it's not operable then once we get the medication down he should have a fairly normal life (as long as the tumor doesn't get bigger).
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Oct 28, 2019 23:33
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EL BROMANCE posted:My mother in laws got diagnosed with Cushings aged around 10. That was 2 years ago and the medication pretty much normalized him straight away. Try a 135lbs Great Dane! Be aware that they can still be confused the next day, but hope she recovers quick
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Oct 30, 2019 00:53
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She seems more back to herself but yeah, still absolutely flat out asleep. Needs to eat!
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Oct 30, 2019 02:41
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Cool with a steady rain predicted all night. It took dragging her out with an umbrella over her head to eke a #1 out of her. How was this prima donna animal ever a stray? She’s lucky she’s cute. 
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Oct 30, 2019 02:57
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There are Pixie plushies from Pixie and Brutus. Kedah let me put it next to her then bit its head to establish pack position.
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Oct 31, 2019 04:50
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Napoleon was neutered today. I’m at work so my fiancé is taking care of him. Napoleon is just so sad and wants to sit in his cage which he NEVER does so now I feel like a monster
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Nov 2, 2019 04:04
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CeramicPig posted:Napoleon was neutered today. I’m at work so my fiancé is taking care of him. Napoleon is just so sad and wants to sit in his cage which he NEVER does so now I feel like a monster The good news is that he feels like his crate is a safe space!
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Nov 2, 2019 04:28
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I got my second puppy on Saturday and it's been really hard work! She's doing well with her crating and house training even though it's only been a few days. We have cuddles and play with her toys and she is a lively pup. However, I have put her collar on and she has just shut down. She will try to curl up next to me and lick at me. She won't play. She won't move from room to room or go out to the toilet when it's on. She will happily gobble down treats with it though, and chase treats around the room. My only other experience with a puppy and new collar was my previous dog and he just dragged his neck around the ground for a few hours before he was relatively alright with it. She is 9 weeks old. I give her lots of treats when we put it on. I don't know what else I can do to make it seem fun and feel safe for her. 
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Nov 6, 2019 13:24
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