JackieMaya

Well, there is SOME good news. I got a phone message from Pooh Bear's foster mom after she received my email telling her of his results at the vet. She said that she wants to talk to me about what I want to do, and she said that they WILL pay for whatever I decide to do! I'm at work now and don't have the time to devote to a phone call to her, but I'll talk with her tomorrow.

Pooh Bear has horrible hips. He DEFINITELY has hip dysplasia; severe in the left hip and mild in the right hip. I saw the x-rays and it was very obvious. So I have four options: 1. chronic meds for life with yearly blood tests for liver safety at approx. $50 per month. 2. Surgery (best option): triple pelvic osteotomy to put left hip in socket. $2,000. This would have to be done within the next few weeks or he would be too old for it to heal. 3. Surgery: femoral head arthroplasty - removal of hip socket approx. $2,000. This can be done at a later time. 4. Surgery: Total hip replacement for approx. $4,000. I'm trying to type through tears because I just don't know what to do. My medical weight loss program that I'm starting this week is going to cost $3,000. I'm hoping insurance will cover some of it but I don't know yet. And THAT is a necessity or I might as well be dead. I'll post more later. I need a smoke.

I'm taking my little Pooh Bear to the vet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning (YIKES!) for his x-rays. He's going to x-ray his back, hips and knees. I just love my vet. Being a night person, 8:30 is going to come awfully damn early! So cross your paws that Pooh Bear just has a back strain! I'll let everyone know how it turns out on Tuesday.

I let Pooh Bear stay out of his crate while we're sleeping, and only crate him when I'm gone. Well, yesterday morning, I let the kids out to do their business and play a little, and then let them back in, and we all took a nap. Well, I guess Pooh Bear wasn't as tired as the girls were. He was on the futon with me, and while I drifted off he chewed off part of the arm of a leather recliner that's right next to the futon. So now if we're going to take a nap, and it doesn't look like he's sleepy enough, I'll put him in his crate. I sprayed the bitter apple stuff on the recliner and the futon frame after the fact. And when I catch him in the act and tell him no, he stops right away. I don't think that it'll take too long for him to grow out of the chewing stage. Jackie and Maya are great role models, because they don't chew on anything they're not supposed to, and if I catch him starting to chew on anything inappropriate, I tell him no and he stops immediately. It'll be real nice when he's mature enough to let him have run of the whole house like Jackie and Maya are.

Good luck, Kat! Having your mom on your side is a huge benefit, and it sounds like your dad will give in. Have a great time in Texas, and I'll be looking forward to pics of your new puppy, Kes!

I'm glad the harness works for you Cinco! I haven't tried it on Pooh Bear yet, because I don't want to take him for a walk when he's limping so much. And he's hairy enough that I wouldn't think that the rubbing would be a problem.

[quote]Chihuahua-Dachshund Chiweenie [/quote] :hmmmm:

That is hysterical! I can just picture it all. ROFL! We had a family of racoons on top of the flue in our fireplace once (before I got Jackie and Maya). My parents and I put a radio inside the fireplace set to rap music at the highest level, along with a siren and flashing light. Then we ran outside so we could see when they left so my dad could put a cap on the fireplace. We sat outside for about 3 hours waiting for the racoons to leave, but I'm sure they left immediately when we turned on the radio and were long gone by the time we got outside. When my dad climbed up on the roof to peek in the fireplace, they were gone.

Pooh Bear is VERY smart and VERY eager to please, so his training is progressing at an amazing pace. When the dogs go outside, he knows now that Maya has to get her harness on, and she goes out first. So Pooh Bear sits and waits while I put Maya's harness on her. Then I give Maya a treat and let her go outside. Then I ask Pooh Bear to sit and I give him a treat and let him go outside. Then I give Jackie her treat and let her go outside. Jackie likes to be the last one to go outside. I feed Maya at one end of the kitchen, Jackie at the other end of the kitchen, and Pooh Bear by the front door. Pooh Bear sits before I put his food in his bowl. When he's done he comes over to me and sits down (just like big sister Maya does) while we wait for slow eater Jackie to finish her dinner. And the girls have taught him to pee and poop in the minefields. And Jackie taught him to walk around the minefield unless he actually has to go to the bathroom so he doesn't get his little tootsies dirty. And he squats to pee. He comes when I call him, and he knows the word "no." He hasn't chewed anything inappropriate (well, other than his bedding in his crate), and hasn't had any potty or poop accidents in the house. Today I put an old rug in his crate, and that seems to have worked the best of anything so far. Poor little guy has had around six homes in his short life. He's had several foster homes. He was adopted out and returned twice. The first guy that adopted him lost his job and couldn't afford to keep him. The second one that adopted him was a lady and her granddaughter. They had him for a little while, and then the girl decided she wanted a lap dog! He's really an amazing puppy: very smart and very lovable. We're all having a blast together!

I went to a doggie picnic with Jackie and Maya that was put on by the Golden Retriever rescue association, and we all had a blast. It was at a park, so all the dogs were playing at and in the lake off leash. All the dogs got along great. Then they had a peanut butter eating contest, where they smeared peanut butter on two sides of a paper plate, and would have two dogs see who ate the peanut butter first. I think it would be fun to have a fun show, where you could have things like best tail, best wagger, best smile, most interesting looking, etc. A fun agility class would be fun too. If there was one in Minnesota, I would go!

Pooh Bear's limping is still bad. In fact, it's gotten a little worse. He still hasn't made a single sound of pain or discomfort (except when Maya climbed onto the futon with me and Pooh Bear and laid on Pooh Bear's butt). I called my vet, and he's going to take x-rays of Pooh Bear's back, hips and knees on Tuesday. This way we'll know if it's hip dysplasia or just a bad back strain, and will know better how to proceed with his recovery. Bear will be there for about 4 hours, as they'll have to give him some sedation for the x-rays. So cross your paws that the x-rays don't show hip dysplasia!

This is what I got for Pooh Bear today, but I haven't tried it yet. It's made by Four Paws and it's called a "No-Pull Trainer." I had a plain old harness on him the first day, and it worked great, but he chewed it in half the second day-LOL. [img]http://www.arcatapet.com/fullsize/2061.jpg[/img] [quote]The No-Pull Trainer will stop any dog, any size from pulling. Now walking your dog will be a pleasure for any member of your family -- not a chore. For maximum control without choking your dog Endorsed by trainers and dog walkers to stop any size dog from pulling[/quote]

I adopted all three of my wonderful dogs from the same rescue shelter. This is Jackie (who was rescued from the pound). She's a 4-1/2 year old Golden Retriever/German Shepherd/Collie mix (we think) who I adopted when she was 1-1/2. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VgANAyYay2kU8Y5MeJW*jW4Xyf1yqUMQhcfaNSMxQyzG7vnNAXJ!gz3BDe7Osv8gaDKw*v5vxbL5wJTYb5VNkATzoU3n*iGdUKSdcGc6Mc9T4bm9b9aIJVhXaaH5HKAW/Canon%20008.jpg?dc=4675512329098481599[/img] This is Maya, who was an owner-surrender. She is a 4 year-old Golden Retriever/Husky mix who I adopted when she was 1-1/2. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VgANAycaFmoU8Y5MeJW*jeQA9eyOEHRbV5QxAU5TtOghDQZAhZVU!IMI5QpgUezdGtlXz6ox0989fVP4ihPtFdfn7v0PkLwqwsJToa5t7VBOigW7k31VSjzmoyGDuEch/Canon%20018.jpg?dc=4675512329103629197[/img] This is Pooh Bear, who I adopted this past Sunday. He's a 14 month-old Australian Shepherd mix. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VAAsA!MYZQSdQwmWD!oqYha1nXXInUausOGhsPbu*TcDdu5aapNlHENzSc!8BuBQd48tjtk3xn8Vm4JWYZeO*393c!VNo!jxWfF2Dmy6DaY8!EtwdPE*tcZIqZtA8shh/DCP_00131.JPG?dc=4675516940452984545[/img]

I adopted him on Sunday, and about an hour or so after he had been at my house and playing with the girls, he came up lame on his left hind leg. I palpated his entire leg and foot, and his leg wasn't sore, but when I palpated his back, he flinched when I got back towards his tail. I took him to the vet on Monday, both because of his back and to get my initial free vet exam because I adopted him. I got him microchipped too (and he didn't make a peep). The vet said that hip dysplasia could be a possibility, but that he thought it would be too soon to take xrays since he still has more growing to do. He's hoping that it's just a muscle strain. I hope to Dog that that's what it is. I would hate for such a young dog have to have hip problems and have to have surgery. If he needed surgery, of course I'll have it done, because he'll be living with me for the rest of his life, and I want him to be happy and pain-free. So cross your fingers that it's just a back strain. At his foster home, his foster mom's own dog was a 140-pound Mastiff that he played with. And now he's with Maya (72 pounds) and Jackie (85 pounds). So he should be used to playing with big dogs. I think I'll ask my vet tomorrow about getting him on glucosamine/chondroitan (I used to give it to my crippled horse).

I've been trying to keep all three kids quiet so that Pooh Bear's back can get better, but it's almost impossible. They'll be real quiet for quite a while, then something gets one of them up (a squirrel or other dog or whatever), and then they all start playing and running and jumping around. They all just LOVE playing with each other. I tried having Pooh Bear next to me on a retractable leash, but when Jackie and Maya started playing, he got real excited, so that wasn't working real well either. He hasn't uttered a single whine or sound of discomfort or pain, but he limps real bad when he's walking and trotting. He looks fine when he canters around. In fact, he jumped right up into my truck today before I even had a chance to help him up there! And he hops up and down from the futon and goes up and down stairs. I just don't know what to do. He's such a happy puppy, and all three of them just love playing together. I hate to separate him from Jackie and Maya to try to keep him quiet, and then they would miss out on all that bonding time. I wonder if maybe I should get a temporary chain link kennel like you can get at Petsmart like this: [img]http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/i/inp0/inP022161_12d01.jpg[/img] They're $179, and if it would keep him less active but still be able to kind of hang out with the girls, it would be worth it. Then he could still see the girls in the back yard, but wouldn't be able to wrestle and jump and roll around with them. But I hate to have him in a crate when I'm gone, and then have to be in a kennel in the back yard. I just want my little boy to get better so that I can let him play with the girls and not have to worry about him. By the way, I took him to the groomer today that his foster mom recommended. She had to shave off huge mats behind each ear, and had to shave his butt below his tail because he was so matted. He looks just beautiful now! I told her that he had a sore back, so she was real careful with him.

We're all starting to get the hang of crating now. I put a heavy-duty U-Haul blanket in Pooh Bear's crate and sprayed it with Bitter Apple spray (early enough so that the blanket would be dry when he went in there). I put a kong with peanut butter in there, a booda bone (rope with two knots in it), and another hard chew toy that lights up. He walked right in there, and only cried for about a minute. When he cries, Maya barks for a little while too. When I got home from dinner tonight (took the night off work), the blanket didn't look much worse than it did when I put it in there. And he was being very quiet. As soon as I opened the front door, Maya ran downstairs to check on Pooh Bear. And he's gone in there a few times tonight to get his kongs so he could have them on the futon. So the crating is actually going real well. Kongs are the best invention ever!

I totally spaced out Maya's birthday on March 30 (bad mommy). My fluffy yellow girl is 4 years old now! She was 1-1/2 when I got her. Her birthday present was a new baby brother! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAIA6YYovKdQwmWD!oqYuIR3p6Qe35zT8imRUPqVuD5AkrG15dEXaCzvdI9zutOgN8ALOSu!dZAsTNyBonlRQFnhyNA1g0jhU58db7dRrfOk6SU!VSaDhO2jEJ!uR3I/DCP_0012.JPG?dc=4675455615770471070[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAAAKoYzPOdQwmWD!oqYgWpVME4ek1*Bop8KuS!h6chbkIZfjtzr7WYqz52B3rzYSCYfg2FTcT0n4PeK1wsSim35NAlP9PVXWkfqRx*Mfp4E1eOlrrAfSrykKoYyVy5/DCP_0034.JPG?dc=4675455615846301104[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAIA6cY7PKdQwmWD!oqYh*6XHLnKR3VpQI!AQCll8hO2Aqqj4HR5sLUuyyjOFZNvkgYNV1sWwzgp1weLLYZaNovTpbrUcmSRi0oZfNivQ7nFREHKTpczBamcP4rTFQe/DCP_0013.JPG?dc=4675461490783947788[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UgAsA5sZLTrj9CT5EXrUtj*l5U0HwbSmAH3G17sRSNekX*a6tJy6ZzhwitjDu0gl9FyKXl5ldNJ*1CH!kUmaQDlXZlQcAMrI9vYHkoFgihCtIiUJLctnHQ6c9JbQCU8a/mayamud.JPG?dc=4675473741144238513[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAQA7MY!vOdQwmWD!oqYp5XFMu7aLXWg1tiBDNaXmFQAJzFZsCmKbkXZAyQ67smYUUzdv8XCQLbWZNMByaY03YQ3vldiD8f!jy6gzkr3Thf!8VHBF7wDmJQ!iGeapJZ/DCP_0032.JPG?dc=4675507457387667920[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VACRAucYkQWdQwmWD!oqYgkQZcesvVAdDDzb!eSyMo0pXIU8JJcH0J6195HG9r1S9S2Fy4JpZqdxaABLCY44ArCSd!fZ!NplXLf5XEb3rIZiAwGQcaHiTmm*zFomDNmk/DCP_00090.JPG?dc=4675507966363764719[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VgAAACcaFmoU8Y5MeJW*jeQA9eyOEHRbV5QxAU5TtOghDQZAhZVU!IMI5QpgUezdGtlXz6ox0989fVP4ihPtFdfn7v0PkLwqwsJToa5t7VBOigW7k31VSjzmoyGDuEch/Canon%20018.jpg?dc=4675512329103629197[/img]

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Isn't it amazing how these dogs manage to train us? LOL

I had a pony do that to me once too. I was going out to the pasture, and the pony (not mine) was flat out on his side and I couldn't see his sides moving at all. All I could think was "please don't let him be dead, please don't let him be dead." And when I got almost up to him he lifted his head from his nap (and was probably giggling at me).

Here's what Pooh Bear did to his crate bed yesterday when I was at work for 3 hours. He was a busy boy! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCpArUYi*SdQwmWD!oqYryxc0gXXjSWrR8FNMLCZrH6pC97rT7brpe9tXP6qT4xLRLiEs5tDWXm2X0ag4kitbbD7KfiuuXrju!jisEX715Gw09uBLryCTI**3cjZMjS/DCP_0007.JPG?dc=4675516940436032150[/img] Today I put in a U-Haul moving blanket, and he didn't shred that one too badly, so that might work out okay.

My last Golden, named Cracker, had to have heartworm pills every day because he had heartworm when he was 2 years old. When I started giving him pills, I would shove them down his throat, hold his mouth closed and lightly rub his throat until he swallowed it. Then I would just gush over him and play with him. So then he decided that taking pills was really fun! So then I would just shake his pill jar, and he would drop whatever he was playing with and come over to me, sit down, and I would hand him his pill. I called him my junkie dog. LOL When I had to give Maya pills when she got sick last year, I tried putting the pills down her throat, and she was pretty good about it, but I had long acrylic nails, and she could probably feel them. So then I decided to smear peanut butter on the bottom of her food bowl. Then I crushed up her pill and sprinkled it over the peanut butter. Then I put her food on top of that. She licked her bowl clean! It worked great!

I got Bear a nice big airy metal crate, and I put it in the downstairs bathroom, facing out. That way the girls can go down and see him, and he can see them. Yesterday I put a cushiony dog bed that fit perfectly in there. I was gone for about 3 hours total when I had to work, and he totally shredded the bed. His foster mom said that he likes to rip stuffing out of things. Today I put a shipping blanket (like you can get at U-Haul) in the crate. He had already started shredding it before I left the house. Does anyone have any good ideas of what I could put on the floor of his crate that he wouldn't immediately shred? Also, when do I stop feeling so bad when he starts crying after I put him in there? I just feel so guilty! I've never crated a dog before. He was great last night when we were all sleeping. He slept with me part of the time, with Jackie on the sofa part of the time, and next to Maya part of the time. He didn't chew on a thing. And he didn't have any accidents. So hopefully he'll grow out of the chewing stage fairly soon. I would love to not have to crate him at all.

I just love my little Pooh Bear! I picked him up at 2:00 Sunday afternoon. He was VERY excited to see me. So I think he knew he was finally going home. He rode GREAT in the truck. I don't have a seat in the extended cab part, so there's a mattress and comforter on the floor. It's like a little doggie playpen. Then we went to Petsmart (Pooh Bear, my friend and me). Pooh Bear acted as if he had been my dog forever, and he acted as if he had been in Petsmart every day! He was so good I (and everyone else there) was just amazed! I bought him a little harness there and he walked right next to me just perfectly. (He chewed the harness in half today). He loved everyone (both people and dogs) there. Then Pooh Bear and the girls played in the back yard for about 5 hours before I had to go to work at 10:00. I only had to work for 2 hours, so that wasn't too bad. After they had been playing for about an hour, he started limping. I'm hoping that he just strained his back, because he's tender on his back toward the tail. I took him to the vet today for our free initial exam, and got him microchipped. He didn't make a sound when they microchipped him! The vet said that one possibility is hip dysplasia (UGH). I'm really hoping that he just strained his back with all the rough housing with the girls. But he never made any sounds of discomfort, and he still wanted to play and run. He limps at the walk (left hind leg), but he canters fine on his right lead (you can tell I'm a horse person). So I'm just going to give him some time of no rough housing and see if he gets better before I think about x-rays. I crate him only when I'm gone, and I feel SOOO guilty when I leave him in there. He walks right in there, but then he cries like he's being tortured. He shredded his crate bed last night when I was gone (which I wasn't surprised about). I let him be out of his crate while we were sleeping, and he was great. He fell asleep in my arms and his head kept tilting back, and then he would wake himself up and do it again. Silly boy! The girls are getting used to having him around now. It was just so exciting to have a new dog to play with the first day that every time he would start walking away from me, they would want to play (and so did he). Today I told them all they couldn't roughhouse because Bear had a boo-boo, and they were all great about just hanging out. If I tell them no playing, they all stop and just hang. Bear comes to his name, sits, lies down, and knows the word "no." He's very smart and very eager to please. He had huge mats behind both ears and mats under his tail, so I'm taking him to Petco on Wednesday so he can get beautified. Bear's foster mom uses one of the groomers there and said that she's great, so that's who I'm going to use. I took some more pictures (and my friend took some pictures of me with all my kids), but I haven't downloaded them yet. Hopefully I'll post some tonight. I can't believe I got so lucky to adopt three such great dogs! I'm a happy mommy!

I think that's a great idea for you to get a puppy, Kat! But I also think it would be a good idea to let your dad know how you really feel and how much this means to you. I've suffered from clinical depression for over 20 years, and have been real depressed lately. I know that having a puppy to train (Pooh Bear) will help me out of my depression. Good luck!