[NA] Found Dog, now what? [NA]

[gismo]

Also, she has an odd behavioral quirk. I don't know if it's training or something else, but she is hesatant about crossing any doorway in or out. She will exit my house to relieve herself, but otherwise she stops at the doorway and looks around. Food or treats have no effect either. I haven't found any combination of commands to get her to cross yet. Also, I haven't figured what kind of toys she's into.

It sounds like the dog may have suffered some trauma involving a door in the past.

 

[wabower]

In addition to a leash, the best tools for teaching a dog (especially a puppy) to heel are a broomstick and some duct tape.

Tape the leash to the stick, allowing the snap to extend just past the end of the stick. The "solid leash" allows the trainer to keep the dog in place without effort or distraction. With just a few short walks each day, puppies are usually heel-trained within a couple of weeks, and without the trainer ever saying anything except "heel" when the trainer starts to move and "whoa" when the trainer stops. An occasional pat on the shoulder and "good dog" is the only other communication necessary.

As the dog progresses, the lower wraps of tape can be removed one at a time until the stick is no longer needed.

 

[steingar]

In addition to a leash, the best tools for teaching a dog (especially a puppy) to heel are a broomstick and some duct tape.

Tape the leash to the stick, allowing the snap to extend just past the end of the stick. The "solid leash" allows the trainer to keep the dog in place without effort or distraction. With just a few short walks each day, puppies are usually heel-trained within a couple of weeks, and without the trainer ever saying anything except "heel" when the trainer starts to move and "whoa" when the trainer stops. An occasional pat on the shoulder and "good dog" is the only other communication necessary.

As the dog progresses, the lower wraps of tape can be removed one at a time until the stick is no longer needed.

Or, you can just hold the leash tight so the dog heels. Don't even need to use voice commands, the dog should be watch you to see when you move and when you stop.

 

[wabower]

If the premise is that the dog should already know what to do, who to watch and when to do what it should, why do you even need a leash?

Or, you can just hold the leash tight so the dog heels. Don't even need to use voice commands, the dog should be watch you to see when you move and when you stop.

 

[steingar]

You can use simple sounds and touch to focus your dog's attention on you. As pack leader, that's where it should be. A tight leash will limit the dog's movement, whether it is held by you or by a stick.

 

[Pi1otguy]

You can use simple sounds and touch to focus your dog's attention on you. As pack leader, that's where it should be. A tight leash will limit the dog's movement, whether it is held by you or by a stick.

I suppose it's tricky when she's in heat. I've almost got the art of walking down. She stays by my side, slightly behind with slack on the lease for the most part. But when the wind shifts and a dog 2 lots over barks she barks back and loses concentration.

I'm taking the calm assertive energy approach. Seems to work so far. But I doubt I can say "tsst!" without feeling silly.

 

[steingar]

I was amazed how well that stuff works on my boy dog.

 

[Pi1otguy]

Thanks everyone! I've decided to keep her. She's just got her shots and a chip. All she needs now is some professional grooming, to be spayed once she's out of heat, and for me to roam the 'net for training info.

btw, the doorway issue seems to be more of a territory thing. She's now ok with the doorway to her room in my house, but has to be lead across all others (I currently own the rest of my house).

 

[N801BH]

Congrats to you for making that decision... Both you and the dog will be better off.

ben

 

[CollinLeon]

You can save a bit of money on heartworm meds if you are willing to give you dogs injections of the medicine yourself. I buy the meds from Valley Vet Supply. Ivomec costs $34 for a 50 ml bottle and that works out to be about 50 doses for my dogs. The syringes cost $17 for 100 2.5 cc syringes, thus a cost of $0.85 per dose when you do not reuse the syringes. My vet refuses to give a prescription for Heartgard, so you cannot buy it online. He charges quite a bit more than online. If your vet will issue a prescription, you can get Heartgard for about $40 for 6 tablets, thus $6.67 per month -- nearly 8 times the price of doing the injections yourself. As far as dog food goes, just buy the 50 lb bags from the local farm feed store, Wal-Mart, or wherever -- about $20 or less. A 50 lb bag will easily feed a dog at least a month, so you're looking at $240 per year for food or about $250 for food plus heartworm medicine. If someone is paying $1500-2000 per year for upkeep for their dog, they are doing something *really* wrong...

 

[murphey]

As far as dog food goes, just buy the 50 lb bags from the local farm feed store, Wal-Mart, or wherever -- about $20 or less. A 50 lb bag will easily feed a dog at least a month, so you're looking at $240 per year for food or about $250 for food plus heartworm medicine. If someone is paying $1500-2000 per year for upkeep for their dog, they are doing something *really* wrong...

Just remember to get reasonably good quality dog food. There's so much out there that's really nothing more than "fast food" for dogs. Bulky but not very nutritious.

 

[Pi1otguy]

If someone is paying $1500-2000 per year for upkeep for their dog, they are doing something *really* wrong...

The startup cost are the killer. It's only been a week and between the injury, vaccs, chip, etc I've put out >$300 so far and the vet foresees 3 more visit for this year. I believe that cost assumed 1-2 emergency vet visits a year, boarding cost, plus pricey meds. On top of that she's gotta get spayed, which is a major surgery (atleast of humans it is).

Just remember to get reasonably good quality dog food. There's so much out there that's really nothing more than "fast food" for dogs. Bulky but not very nutritious.

The ingredient list for dog food and stuff I've eaten before differ only slightly. But I get what u mean. There's a difference from processed farm leftovers labeled dog food and actual dog food.

Congrats to you for making that decision... Both you and the dog will be better off.

ben

Yup. Among other benefits she gets a warm room and I get to exercise. As an added bonus 2 days ago I had my first lesson in the art repelling/defending against loose dogs that charge at us.

 

[TMetzinger]

Congratulations on your decision!

 

[Anthony]

Keep it away from the Korean restaurants.

 

[SkyHog]

Update: Saw the vet and got her scanned but there's no chip (scanned twice). Got no response from the fliers I initially posted (complete with color pic), and she has no chip. I've visited several vet offices in my area with fliers and had no luck. None remember this dog and most do not post lost/found dog fliers. It's unlikely that I can find the owner. Given how she likes to walk even with her injuried paw she could have traveled several miles in the time it took to get so thin.

The vet looked at the paw and it was actually just an extremely over grown nail that curled back and led to an infection. The nail was clipped and some antibiotics given. She also has a few minor cuts/bruises on her head and body that are healing normally. Looks like life on the street as opposed to abuse. The visit was a relatively quick and cheap (~$100). Unknown to me I can not use the human analog of a no insurance urgent care visit to guess the cost. Looks like I'll be giving her pills and spreading ointment for a week. And I learned that not only is she not fixed, but she's in heat and it's "that time". The blood stains were not exclusively from her paw or leg.

Also, she has an odd behavioral quirk. I don't know if it's training or something else, but she is hesatant about crossing any doorway in or out. She will exit my house to relieve herself, but otherwise she stops at the doorway and looks around. Food or treats have no effect either. I haven't found any combination of commands to get her to cross yet. Also, I haven't figured what kind of toys she's into.

I've had a change of heart and I am seriously re-evaluating if I can have a dog. If a new home comes out of the efforts that have already been started I will of course honor that, but I'm not sure she absolutely has to go atleast for the next week or 2. My main concerns are time and money. I'm worried that my occasional over night stays starting in April may be problematic even if I do board her. I'm also worried about cost. My understanding is that a medium dog cost around $1500-$2000 a year in upkeep. I just bought a house and while squeezing $150/month out of myself is doable, the intial cost (fixing her, shots, etc) combined with the unexpected expenses that seem to pop up with my house may make things tight. I'll really have to think this through.

Lastly, here's the updated stats from the vet:
Breed: Terrier, possibly Fox terrier
Sex: Female - not fixed currently in heat.
Age: approx 18 months
Weight: 25 lbs but currently underweight. (idk what the proper weight is.)

3 big things:

1) Thank you for being a man about this and actually trying to find the owner. At this point, I think you've done more than your due diligence and whatever outcome happens is ok-fine and as it should be. I'm glad you chose to keep her.

2) The doorway thing is probably training. A well trained dog will not go through a doorway until the alpha goes through first. Of course, your dog is taking this to the extreme, but the best solution is to try to walk through first and then call her or say "OK." I'll bet she follows.

3) For the blood....diapers. Its weird, but seriously, its better than having to deblood your house. Few things worse than period blood....actually, there's nothing worse than period blood. Well.....embryonic fluid might be worse.

 

[CollinLeon]

The startup cost are the killer. It's only been a week and between the injury, vaccs, chip, etc I've put out >$300 so far and the vet foresees 3 more visit for this year. I believe that cost assumed 1-2 emergency vet visits a year, boarding cost, plus pricey meds. On top of that she's gotta get spayed, which is a major surgery (atleast of humans it is).

Some of the humane societies have a discounted pet neutering available. Getting it done at a vet is a lot more expensive and you get the same result. The humane societies want to cut down on the number of strays and neutering the pets is the way to do it... Of course, neutering the females is a lot more effective than neutering the males with respect to population control. Some people figure that they will get their male dog neutered to reduce his aggressiveness... It doesn't necessarily work all the time though...

 

[steingar]

If someone is paying $1500-2000 per year for upkeep for their dog, they are doing something *really* wrong...

We have two long-haired dogs that we have groomed by a professional once a month. About $100 for the two of them. $1200/year. They go to the vet annually for shots and whatnot (I can't hold down my boy dog and give him shots, he's way too unstable, and my wife is unable to hold him. I could hold him, but my wife can't give shots. So the vet does it. Can't give the rabies vaccination any which way). I have no idea what we're spending for food, the Mrs. buys it. But we go through a giant bag at least once a month.

So what I am doing so wrong, oh fount of wisdom?

 

[CollinLeon]

We have two long-haired dogs that we have groomed by a professional once a month. About $100 for the two of them. $1200/year. They go to the vet annually for shots and whatnot (I can't hold down my boy dog and give him shots, he's way too unstable, and my wife is unable to hold him. I could hold him, but my wife can't give shots. So the vet does it. Can't give the rabies vaccination any which way). I have no idea what we're spending for food, the Mrs. buys it. But we go through a giant bag at least once a month.

So what I am doing so wrong, oh fount of wisdom?

When I had longer haired dogs (Chows), I would shear them at the start of the summer and it would grow back for the winter. I bought an actual pair of electric sheep shears -- basically a set of barber clippers that are on steroid (about 14" long and at least 50% larger in diameter). I would also have to periodically brush out their undercoat or they would end up with a dreadlock look. On the other hand, of my current dogs, one has a medium coat (St Bernard / German Shepherd cross) and the other has a short coat (pitt bull). They don't require trimming, but the St Bernard / German Shepherd cross does require me to brush the undercoat out after the winter is over. From what I've gathered, you can mix the Ivomec with dog food and have it taken orally, but I prefer to just give it as a subcutaneous injection. The needles are so thin that the dog doesn't even feel it. Rabies vaccinations are only needed every 3 years, although some states refuse to recognize this and say it should be done every year.

I think your best bet would be to train your wife to be able to give injections. I grew up on a ranch, so I'm pretty comfortable giving animals shots. At least with a dog, I'm not going to end up with a broken arm when the animal decides that it doesn't like being restrained for whatever treatment is necessary. You have to be careful when you're working with cattle that can weigh around 2000 lbs.

 

[steingar]

When I had longer haired dogs (Chows), I would shear them at the start of the summer and it would grow back for the winter.

I've attached a photo of my girl dog. Only a true Philistine would take a pair of shears to something so lovely. My boy dog's fur grows fast and kinks up hard. He needs to be clipped monthly or he starts to matt without daily brushing.

I bought an actual pair of electric sheep shears -- basically a set of barber clippers that are on steroid (about 14" long and at least 50% larger in diameter). I would also have to periodically brush out their undercoat or they would end up with a dreadlock look. On the other hand, of my current dogs, one has a medium coat (St Bernard / German Shepherd cross) and the other has a short coat (pitt bull). They don't require trimming, but the St Bernard / German Shepherd cross does require me to brush the undercoat out after the winter is over. From what I've gathered, you can mix the Ivomec with dog food and have it taken orally, but I prefer to just give it as a subcutaneous injection. The needles are so thin that the dog doesn't even feel it. Rabies vaccinations are only needed every 3 years, although some states refuse to recognize this and say it should be done every year.

As it is my girl dog needs her coat brushed a couple times a week. I can only imagine how bad it would get if she just got sheared once a year.

I think your best bet would be to train your wife to be able to give injections. I grew up on a ranch, so I'm pretty comfortable giving animals shots. At least with a dog, I'm not going to end up with a broken arm when the animal decides that it doesn't like being restrained for whatever treatment is necessary. You have to be careful when you're working with cattle that can weigh around 2000 lbs.

City folks are different, as are women. Yeah, it would be great if Mrs. Steingar could restrain my boy dog so I could give him shots. It would be great if she were 5'7', blond and had big boobs too. Heck, while I'm going it would be great if she was an heiress, so I could by the Bonanza I've always wanted.

It really doesn't matter, the state requires rabies once a year, which means a vet visit.

Sorry boss, not everyone's situation is the same as yours. Different people and animals require different solutions. Most one-size-fits-all solutions work poorly and fit bad.

 

[CollinLeon]

I've attached a photo of my girl dog.

That's not a dog, that's a dust mop... :wink2:

Only a true Philistine would take a pair of shears to something so lovely. My boy dog's fur grows fast and kinks up hard. He needs to be clipped monthly or he starts to matt without daily brushing.

Are both dogs the same breed?

City folks are different, as are women. Yeah, it would be great if Mrs. Steingar could restrain my boy dog so I could give him shots. It would be great if she were 5'7', blond and had big boobs too. Heck, while I'm going it would be great if she was an heiress, so I could by the Bonanza I've always wanted.

It really doesn't matter, the state requires rabies once a year, which means a vet visit.

You might want to check about that... There are 2 different vaccines -- a 1 year and a 3 year... Texas allows either... Where are you located?

Sorry boss, not everyone's situation is the same as yours. Different people and animals require different solutions. Most one-size-fits-all solutions work poorly and fit bad.

It looks like your major expense is probably the grooming... Assuming that both of your dogs are small, you're also probably not buying dog food in the more economical 50 lb bag sizes... You could save a bit by buying the Ivomec and mixing it with your dog's food if injections are not convenient for you.

Many years ago, when my parents were still alive, they had a Pekingese... He HATED to have his claws clipped. Whenever it was necessary, I would have to come over, put on a pair of welding gloves, and hold him down while my father clipped his claws. My mother spoiled that little dust mop rotten. He bit my girl friend once when she was there and I kicked him down the hall, through the breakfast area, and all the way to the other side of the kitchen... With all the fur, he sure did slide well... Kind of like a furry air hockey puck... I don't put up with dogs that don't understand that *I* am the alpha in the pack...

 

[steingar]

I don't put up with dogs that don't understand that *I* am the alpha in the pack...

Me neither. If either dog bit anyone they would be in acute danger of becoming ex-dogs. Both my dogs are Shi-Tzus, the one in the photo full bred, the other a hybrid (i.e. mutt). I don't mind the expenses, as they are part of the family.

 

[CollinLeon]

Me neither. If either dog bit anyone they would be in acute danger of becoming ex-dogs. Both my dogs are Shi-Tzus, the one in the photo full bred, the other a hybrid (i.e. mutt). I don't mind the expenses, as they are part of the family.

And in the grand scheme of things, they're definitely cheaper than kids...

Personally, I like short haired dogs -- like pits and weimaraners... Especially for a hot climate like the Gulf Coast during the summer... My pit thinks that she is a weimaraner though... She's full of energy and LOVES to fetch...

(as a young puppy)

And is constantly running circles around the larger dog...
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=80&pictureid=457

 

[steingar]

Nothing wrong with any of them, and I like Pitts myself (wife doesn't). But I think we'll stay with long haired dogs. Better in our climate (cold winters) and I like the look.

 

[CollinLeon]

Nothing wrong with any of them, and I like Pitts myself (wife doesn't). But I think we'll stay with long haired dogs. Better in our climate (cold winters) and I like the look.

There are some people who want pits so that they can make a statement. They will leave it chained up on a short chain and end up with an aggressive dog. With mine (actually *supposedly* my daughter's), she gets along great with everyone and is probably the smartest dog I've ever had (ok, technically, she is just considerably less stupid than the other dogs). I was throwing a tennis ball with her one night and figured I would see how many times she would actually fetch it... At the 300 throw mark, my shoulder called it quits, but she was still going strong... Eventually, I bought a youth lacrosse stick for playing tennis ball fetch with her... She'll put it in the stick pocket and wait for me to toss it... The advantage of this is that I don't end up having to handle a very slobbery tennis ball...

 

[denverpilot]

Seeing all this dog talk makes me happy.

Our old girl is a mixed breed with at least some cattle dog, perhaps chow or akita, and lab. We rescued her from the local SPCA/Dumb Friend's League 14 years ago, and they estimated that she was 3 when we got her. So, 17 years old... she's a happy, sleepy, canine senior citizen. And the cat turns 21 in March.

We had a bit of a scare this fall when the dog started having coughing fits. Took her to the vet, vet x-rayed her chest, and freaked out thinking she had a heart that was about to go, it looked on the X-Ray to be filling her 45 lb body's chest cavity. Now having seen dogs in other people's homes who had congestive heart failure, both my vet and I thought immediately... not good.

Vet said, "There are some great drugs for heart failure and heart size reduction, but I'm not comfortable administering a whole lot of the dosages or some of them, but there's a dog cardiology specialist I could refer you to, if you don't mind the expense." I didn't... and off we went the next morning to dog cardiology... something I didn't know even existed. Imagine, specialists for dogs.

We head in, meet the doc who's a super nice guy, and he looks at the x-ray and starts laughing. "I might have good news for you, but I really would like your permission to do an echo-cardiogram to make sure. It's going to cost $500, and I can show you here on the x-ray what I'm seeing and what I think is going on, but if I do the ECG I'll know for certain."

Go for it doc. She's family and knowing is what us techie geeks and pilots love more than anything else in the world. Guessing is silly.

So I get to watch a doggie ECG while the ol' lady lies on her side on an elevated table.

Thought I'd have to stand at her head and keep her mellow, but she was pretty into just lying there getting a "pet" from three people, the doc, the vet tech, and me. Go figure.

Doc looks, sees what he wants to see, uses the fancy ECG machine to look for other heart issues, and we get the dog back on her feet and on the floor.

"Your dog has a fairly rare hernia, and has probably had it most of her life. Her liver is mostly up in her heart sac. The heart sac is blown up like a baloon due to fatty tissue surrounding the liver filling it up, and the heart is actually slightly smaller than normal inside all of that stuff, which is making it all VERY hard to see on the X-ray. I'm glad your vet didn't administer heart-reduction drugs. If she'd had any liver issues as a young dog, your vet would have caught it and we'd have gone in and put the liver back where it belongs, and stitched up the hole between her abdomen and heart sac, but at her age with no liver problems, I'd say she'll be just fine."

Seriously doc? Wow. He shows me some cool video on the monitor, shows me some other areas he looked at, how you can tell it's fat and not cancer/tumor tissue and all sorts of other general geekiness, since I had to ask about all the other indicators on the screen, etc. Fancy device. Flow rates, looking for leaking valves, all that. Wild. Just sound waves through the chest. Gotta love modern medical tech.

Anyway, dog's fine, but still has the cough. "So what's the cough, Doc?"

"Well, your vet saw the X-ray and went to the most obvious thing, congestive heart failure but in reality, if you look REALLY close here on the X-Ray, she has a mild case of bronchitis. It might be a one-time thing, or she might be getting old enough that it's chronic. How long?" Etc... gathers more history...

"Large breed dogs tend to over-react to bronchitis, and sound like they're going to cough up a small animal. Medium and small breeds tend to react more in line with the severity of the bronchitis. Since your vet is closed tomorrow, I'll write up a scrip for the medication and let her know. It tends to make them hyper like a number of cups of coffee would do to you, so start it tomorrow morning, not tonight, or you'll be up all night listening to a pacing dog."

Long story short, a week and half of the meds, which didn't really make this sleepy coughy 17 year old very hyper at all, maybe just a little more awake/alert, and weaned her off to see how she was doing... bronchitis gone. Two different vets, $1000. Knowing that the dog's fine, and as the cardio doc said, "She'll probably be alive until she's 20 or so, she's remarkably healthy for a 17 year old dog."

Peace of mind about her condition at her age... priceless, as they say on the commercials.

So this year, the dog wiped out a bit of the flying budget late this year, but... it's kinda like paying for a good engine borescope done by someone with a clue.

Dog's got some daily meds... one small dose for pain management of her arthritis, and another for incontinence... old lady can't always hold her water without her pills.

The cat, he's a whole different story at 21, with pancreas/insulin problems. He didn't deal with insulin injections a couple of years ago for the blood sugar problems well, so he's on a high-protein diet recommended by the vet, and basically if he starts showing signs of complete pancreatic failure or succumbing to his other joint pain or other problems, we'll probably have to euthanize him someday.

The shots and blood glucose checks were just torture, as he's not into being held, and he was a super-grouchy kitty for the few months we tried that route. So, we're just letting him hang out as long as he can without noticeable suffering. He's matted and we can't keep up with it but he's still all "in there" and his usual personality, and the mats don't seem to cause him significant discomfort.

I've found one mobile groomer willing to give it a shot to shave them off, even if we have to do it in multiple visits due to his general crankiness at being handled. Vet won't sedate him to do it, says it's really likely he'd never wake up. And the mobile groomer will probably have to muzzle him, which is something I'm sure he won't appreciate at all.

So we run the doggie and kitty old folks home here. And love it. They're both good furry little pals and we're going to be pretty blue when either one of them decides it's time to go.

But for now... they're here, sleepy and old, and we keep 'em comfortable and play with them, when they're up to it.

Both are well over 100 in "dog years" or "cat years", no matter how you slice it. So we're thankful for whatever time left that they have. And we haven't decided on any new "replacements" yet. Both would probably freak out a bit at any additions to the family at their age.

Neither has ever been flying, but only the dog would be interested. She knows when we're here for a long day it means its the weekend, and she gets a ride in the Yukon, which she loves. Have been lifting her in and out of the trucks for years now, she used to fly up in there on her own after running full-tilt at the back of the truck, but now she waits patiently for a helping lift up there. Dog's also almost fully deaf, and can only really hear the loudest of "barks" from me, or hand-clapping. She's adapted well, and watches me carefully for body-language about when it's time to follow, or come inside, and she never wanders off very far anymore. She loved to wander off, nose-down, sniffing, anywhere she could get away with taking off to, in her youth. Now she acts like she always liked to heel. LOL!

So that's our old-folks home story. Animals, like humans, are living longer, if they're well cared for... and these two are both somewhat exceptional in their longevity. Perhaps the dog more than the cat, but we never expected either to live this long. It's kinda fun to watch these "kids" in their "Golden years", really. We'll be there soon enough.

Watching the old dog tackle a staircase when you know she has arthritis in her back and hind legs is almost motivational in and of itself. We've tried various techniques to tell her it's okay, she doesn't have to go up or down the stairs, but she circumvents them all... she's going to climb and descend stairs if she darn well pleases, and she chewed through one wire-mesh baby-grate already to prove it... so we just watch in amazement as she goes up and down both sets every day. To the basement to hide out under the stairs on her favorite old rug to sleep, or up to our bedroom at night to be with the pack in the den. The cat, similarly mounts the stairs to the bedroom every morning to announce at o'dark-thirty that it's time for his breakfast, as 140 year old men are wont to do. "Get up and FEED ME." Alright buddy, I'm coming.

Hope you all got a chuckle out of the senior citizen stories here. Keep petting your dogs and cats, and think about us the next time you wonder if your dog or cat is getting old...