courtnek

I have a lady bringing her Lab/Weimereiner mix over tomorrow to meet my furkids - and I have an appointment to meet another lady with a foxhound...can anyone tell me anything about Weimereiners and Foxhounds? Thanks...

Thanks everyone - and yes Behle, I couldnt put him thru that. When I asked what his chances were for a normal life they would hedge and say "we wont know that until after he starts medication"...but when he diagnosed I spent hours reading up on this and realized that even with meds, eye removal, surgery, and prayers, the odds were not good. Fungal infections are hard to get rid of, and the websites I visited said if it got to his eyes they would have to be removed. He was blind, I could have lived with that easily, but not with the pain he was feeling and not with the fact that he might never fully recover....he was suffering, and I couldnt let that go on. Freebee keeps looking for him, That's so sad....I need to get her another dog.

Just FYI - about the hypoallergenic thing... People are allergic to animal dander, not hair, in most cases. Tjose cases of hair allergy would still be allergic to poodles...Poodle dander, in most people, causes the least severe reaction. Whether they bred them that wat or not I dont know, but if you cross a poodle with a lab, say, the genes will still have lab dander in them in 50% of the cases. So much for the hypoallergenic theory... I dont think crossing two purebreds is the thing to do, unless you have a specific reason for doing so, and it still isnt a recognized breed. My poor departed Alex was half Golden and half Lab, and he was beautiful and shed less then my purebred golden did. So for me, the "Golden Lab" was a wonderful thing, but he wasnt a purebred. He wasnt a Goldador, or even a Golden Lab, he was a mix.

Has he ever been wormed? Worms can cause these symptoms....You need to take the stool (I know, YUK) into the vet and have it examined ASAP

Alex is gone.....I had to have him put down. His retina's seperated from his eyes, his lungs have the fungal infection, it would start attacking his major organs soon. His eyes were hurting so bad that he wouldnt open them except outside. Theresults of the xray and eye exam were not good. They could start him on antifungal drugs, but they cost $100.00 a week and he would need to take them for at least 8 months.....They could do nothing for his eyes except wait and see, and they might have needed to be removed. And he would have to take pain killers until the eyes were either better or removed....I couldnt put him through all that, knowing that there was no real cure and they couldnt guarantee any of this would work, or that he wouldnt relapse. It hurts so bad!!!! Freebee cant understand why he isnt here, why I cant stop crying.... Even PushyCat is upset.... :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: Goodbye Alex. I love you, and I'll see you on the Rainbow Bridge....

Alex is not doing well - he is almost totally blind now..he walks into walls and cant navigate the stairs without my voice... He is going to the eye doctor tomorrow...I have decided that no mater what, even if he is blind, unless it is something that will make him suffer, I will be there for him. I decided that - dogs have been our eyes as guides for decades - if necessary, I will be his "seeing eye" human....I wont let him go unless I have to....he is too special....too gentle...and needs me now. Please send us good wishes.... this is so unusual - unles he has the disease they portrayed, which I cant figure out how since he doesnt fall into the scenario... I will let you all know tomorrow.

He's BEAUTIFUL!! hey, you could call him, officially, "Tri Colored Poofball" and call him "Tri" or "poof" for short.... It would defintiely be a conversation piece!!! LOL Congrats!! :D

I believe so - same rules tho - picture provided by...etc...as long as you are not attempting to make it seem like this is something YOU did it should be allright. :D

Raw meat should be ok for dogs, providing it's fresh and hasnt been sitting around at room temperature..... They still have their appendixes; which is now thought to originally have been meant to control the bacteria from raw meat. Ours went dormant when we started cooking food.... A "kill" would be considered "fresh" since the meat was not introduced to the room temperature bacteria's like E-Coli and Salmonella...

You'll want to check this, but I believe if you list the title, author and publishing company beforehand; ex: <TITLE> <AUTHOR> <PUBLISHER> (Like Simon and Schuster or whatever) and the date of publication, you can then put it in there word for word, IN QUOTES. As long as the quotation marks are there, it is considered a quote and not plagerism. :D

He thinks he's Alpha - top dog - and the bed is a prized posession for an Alpha dog. He needs to be demoted. From Alpha to subservient.... Make him STAY off of all beds, always. If it requires baby gates to keep him out of the room, then put them up. Let everyone know that this dog is NOT allowed to sleep on the bed. Eat before him, always, and let him see you doing it. NEVER feed him first. If necessary, sit down and eat some crackers before you feed him. Do NOT let him lay down or sleep at the top of the stairs when you are downstairs. Make him stay downstairs, off the furniture, and on the floor. Go through ALL doorways before him. If he tries to get ahead of you, close the door. MAKE HIM SIT AND YOU GO THROUGH FIRST. His actions are all based on wolf pack behavior in the wild. In the pack, the alpha leads, gets the best sleeping spots, and eats first. You need to demote him from Alpha by treating him the way a wolf Alpha would treat a member who took liberties with pack rules This take a while to enforce, but he wil learn the rules and behave. You should also probably put a short 2 foot lead on him so you can pull him away from these he shouldnt be on, like the beds and furniture, without risk to yourself Good Luck! :D

Thank you Weebitti I have a friend who was just shipped out to Iraq - I am forarding that URL to his wife so she can send it to him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it :D

They do the same thing here with cats Hobbit. An Animal Shelter realized long ago that there are a whole lot more stray cats than there are people willing to take them in, and they dont euthanize but couldnt keep them all. They go around in trucks rounding up the strays, neuter/spay them and return them to their "home areas". This is paid for by donations from the public and private donations. They go out once a month and check up on them, doing visual checks and if one seems in distress they'll take it back to the clinic. The people that live in the area will sometimes feed them and Anderson has a piece of property out there (an old barn) that they bought and "fixed up" so the cats have somewhere to stay warm in the winter. I was amazed when I heard this - I had not known about this at all. It seems to be working. The wild cat population is under control and actually shrinking a little, and the cats seem very well able to care for themselves once the issue of warmth was taken care of. It's not as nice a life as laying on a rug in front of a fireplace of course, but it's much better than having them suffer and die in the cold, and keep producing more kittens!! They also have a lot fewer field mice and gopher issues now too.... My guess (without an facts to back this up) is that the area golf courses may have contributed to this. There is a big mice and gopher problem here, they dig holes to live in on the golf courses and people have sprained their ankles and broken them stepping into one of the concealed holes....this is a good solution for them. The barn is not far from one of the big major golf courses.

GOOD JOB!!! :D and disgusting as they are, dogs love pizzles.... LOL :drinking:

If you have a video camera, put it up. wide angle view of the yard. Then put a sign by it that says "This area under video surveillance". BIG sign, BIG letters. Easy to see from everywhere in the yard and directly outside it. If you can, keep a light on in the yard at all times so the sign can be plainly seen. Then check it every time you go to let the dogs out, to see if anything has been thrown in the yard, and by who.... The sign itself and seeing the video camera may make them think twice, but if you can catch them in the act, even better. Sick bastards.... :evil:

A lot of it depends on where you live and the cost of living in that area. It was $150 to spay Freebee, but ony $60 to neuter Alex, because that's not extensive surgery. I think the fees are determined by area, and roughly how much money exists in the town in general.

Your post reminded me of an incident with my Golden Retriever. He used to eat rocks, literally....He would chew them up and swallow them... I was very concerned because he was grinding down his teeth and I was afraid of colon issues, but he passed the rocks every time. I asked the vet about it, and they did a bloodwork on him. Turns out he had a mineral deficiency!! All I can think is that he was eating the rocks to get the necessary minerals!!! They put him on a vitamin supplement, and he never ate another rock!! Weird, isnt it? I cant, however, think of what kind of deficiency (diet wise) would cause a dog to eat plastic or panties.......LOL :D

Thanks everyone - that's useful info.... She always waddles, but her legs are really skinny too (I think that might be the GSP in her) but sometimes the stiffness is worse than others. I'll have her checked by the vet. Thanks again.

Thanks for the info Casi, but this is actually a lab thing..... They are compulsive eaters, chewers, escapists and thieves..... this particular plastic bad had had cheese in it, and I threw it out in the trash can under my desk, instead of in the kitchen which he cant get to. All I had to do was turn around and he had sniffed it out and swallowed it. I wasnt thinking, and so I actually kinda caused the problem.... I think it's a retriever thing in general, since my purebred golden and my other lab mix all did it.... :drinking: :D

No takers??? Even if you havent had one, do you have any info, web sites, anything? I dont want to have to do X-rays if not necessary because they are so expensive...I will if necessary, but I know from experience that doctors order tests just to cover their butts...

I would guess that's a jealousy thing - PAY ATTENTION TO ME!! instead of paying attention to her - and having lab in her, eating is the way to get your attention, and the vets attention, and surgery.. THEY EAT EVERYTHING!!! I have yet to figure out what it is that makes them do that......when I do (if I do) I'll let ya know. :D

God **** **!!!!! why do labs have to EAT everything in sight? Alex just snarfed down a plastic sandwich bag!! The vet said he'll probably be fine, but now I have to do the **** "poop patrol" for the next few days..... :evil:

[quote]Courtnek- Yeah I know what you mean, we've had four labs and one of them always managed to escape our yard and sneak over to our favorite neighbors yard and lie in their pretty little golfish pond......it was very embarassing. That's partly why I'm so suprised that spraying water does anything to Dresden, it never occured to me that it would work as a deterrent/reinforcer with a dog......... LOL = I believe that originally they were bred with goldfish genes - all they want to do is be in the water, and given the chance they'll eat till they burst.... :D [/quote]

Has anyone ever had a dog with hip displacia? My female lab mix (Freebee) walks funny. She waddles! She is not fat by any means, but when she walks her whole back end swings from side to side. And sometimes, she will "stiffen up" and walk real slow coming in from outside.... Watching her walk makes me think either hip displacia, or arthritis. Labs are prone to the first and she's too young for the second.... Any ideas? thanks much Katy p.s. I'll ask the vet when she gets her shots, but I dont like to bring it up because they'll want x-rays and stuff that may not be necessary. I'd rather get some info first. thanks.

Keep the puppy in the crate while you introduce it to your dog. That way you can see how both animals react and there is no risk to the puppy if the dog gets burly...Also, when you have them together, try to pay as much attention to your other dog as you are paying to the puppy. The older dog and the puppy may at some time come to a dominance issue - let them work it out. Unless they are seriously fighting, which is rare, they will get the pecking order straightened out on their own. Good luck and congrats!