ferky1

Miles (2 1/2 year old Shih Tzu) developed an unsightly growth just under his nose about 5-6 weeks ago. It grew rapidly and then stopped growing. Took him to the vet about 2 weeks ago (well respected facility, hospital, 24 hour emergency care. . . .) and they were very nocommital. They said it could be 1) An infection in which case he needs antibiotics, but if it's not an infection then of course the antibiotics won't do anything; 2) a histiocytoma or 3) a cancerous or pre-cancerous tumor. Vet said that based on Miles' age and the look of the growth, she is 99.99% certain that it isn't a tumor or anything dangerous. She "guesses" that it is a histiocytoma and she said that if Miles was her dog she would wait one to two months and it may go away on its own. Otherwise she would cut it out. She said that it shouldn't be growing, but I think it is. That's the story. Here's some pics, I'd like to know what you guys think. In the two weeks since seeing the vet I think it's gotten bigger. It's unsightly, but at the same time I hate to think of causing Miles the pain of cutting it off. [img]http://home.comcast.net/~mrosenstein22/Miles_growth_1.jpg[/img] [img]http://home.comcast.net/~mrosenstein22/Miles_growth.jpg[/img] [img]http://home.comcast.net/~mrosenstein22/Miles_growth_2.jpg[/img]

[url]http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/9467779.htm[/url] Dog stops Columbia carjacking Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. - A dog took a bite out of crime to stop a would-be carjacker Thursday night, police say. The 3-year-old Rottweiler-Doberman pinscher mix named Diablo bit the suspect after he opened the passenger door of a car stopped at a stoplight and grabbed the driver by the neck. The woman, who asked The (Columbia) State not to identify her, said she had to pry the dog's jaws open to get him to let go. The dog lost its four bottom teeth in the incident, but the woman said a veterinarian told her those were the dog's puppy teeth. The carjacker has not been caught, Richland County sheriff's spokesman Joseph Pellicci said. A couple thoughts here, first, you want to bet that some breed-hating idiots are going to use this as ammo for saying that rots and dobs are dangerous? Also, I predict that the car-jacker/dog bite victim, if caught, will find some scumbag lawyer (I am a lawyer and fully acknowledge that there are some scumbags out there) to sue 1) the dog owner, 2) the township for allowing that type of breed, 3) the car manufacturer for not protecting car-jackers from dogs in the passenger seat 4) the dogs' breeders and 5) anyone else he can think of because God knows this couldn't be his fault :roll: One question though: The dog lost four teeth. That's some tough biting!! But a 3 year-old with baby teeth? Does that sound right?

[url]http://www.nbc10.com/news/3593850/detail.html[/url] Appears to me like another case of dogs and people suffering because an owner is incapable of exercising any type of control. [b]Owner Tries To Save Pets From Death Sentence Two Dogs Allegedly Bit Three People[/b] UPPER DARBY, Pa. -- Two Bichon Frise dogs in Upper Darby may look cute and cuddly, but a Delaware County judge said their bites are just as bad as their barks and he has ordered them to be put to death. A judge on Tuesday deemed both dogs vicious and ordered them to be put to sleep after they bit three different people, including two children, in as many months. Anna Aslanides said she can't imagine life without her precious pets, Perry and Bastille. "(The judge) wants to kill the dogs. He can kill us, me and my daughter together. He can kill us too," Aslanides said. Megan Reilly, 14, almost had to go through a series of rabies shots after one of the dogs bit her in April. "It bit right through my sock," Reilly remembers. "I was just walking. I didn't provoke them in any way and it looked like they were running behind me the other way, and they just came up behind me and bit me." Reilly still has a visible scar from the three puncture wounds and had to have an X-ray to make sure there were no remnants of the dog's tooth still imbedded in her leg. She almost had to get a series of painful rabies shots because her mother, Kathleen Reilly, said it took a week of phone calls and faxes to the police and health department to determine if the dogs were vaccinated. Reilly said the owner never responded. "I had to protect my child. I know the chance of the dogs having rabies was possibly low, but the fact that she wasn't responding to anybody had me thinking that perhaps these dogs weren't up on their immunizations and I can't take that chance with my child," Reilly said. Megan Reilly wasn't alone. Two other people, including an 11-year-old boy, were bitten in the months following her reported attack. The law in Upper Darby says after three bites, a dog must be destroyed. "It does not matter what kind of dog, if there are three bites it can be considered vicious," said Jim Maloney of the Upper Darby Health Department. Aslanides' mother said their dogs are not vicious. She said the family has hired an attorney and is not going to lose Perry and Bastille without a fight. The township said the appeals process could take several months, during which if the two dogs were ever outside, they would have to be on a leash and muzzled. If the appeal fails, the dogs will be put to sleep, by order of the court. Copyright 2004 by NBC10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I know this probably belongs in the Health section, but more people see it here in the Everything section. Miles' best friend, an overweight pug named Gabby, has sores on her mouth and lips. The vet diagnosed them as Papaloma or Fiber Papaloma and said that there isn't any medication they can give and they aren't contageous. In Gabby's, and the vet's, defense, Gabby sees lots of dogs during the average week and no other dog has picked up anything. Miles is supposed to go over for a playdate tomorrow (the first time since the appearence of these THINGS). No one seems concerned but me, but I can't find any information on the internet. Does anyone know anything about this? Would you let your dog go play? Edited to say that I have been informed that the formal name is Fibropapilloma. Still can't find any useful info though.

[quote name='sashagirl']ferky... did you see the post in NDR? :wink: 8)[/quote] I actually don't know which thread in NDR that you are referring to. Link?

[quote name='primorse']Uh, nooooo. I am "directly implying" that allowing one's cat to have kittens (particularly at this time of year) directly causes kittens to die. In the unlikely event that Sarah's brother in law has room in his life for three or four or five more cats, he can go to the shelter and save the life of as many as he wants. If he finds "responsible homes" for these kittens, that will be three or four or five "responsible homes" that other kittens won't get. They will die as a result. Legal quiz: Why is it inaccurate to charactrize anything that I say on this board as "slander?" primrose[/quote] What backwards logic that is! By applying your reasoning, no dog or cat should EVER be permitted to have offspring as long as there is at least one dog or cat without a home. You are saying that even the most responsible breeders, those who run full genetic testing, line up homes before mating even takes place and mate for the betterment of the breed instead of to make a buck, are guilty of killing the proportionate number of shelter dogs that won't be adopted because the breeder's puppies will go to those homes. What a stretch!! Sorry, don't buy it. Maybe the brother-in-law is guilty of allowing the cat to mate and giving birth to kittens without having found them homes, but to imply that he is directly or indirectly responsible for their, or other cats/kittens deaths is alarmist and offensive. Legal quiz answer: Slander is the spoken word, libel is written.

Miles is no retriever, but you had better believe that when someone walks in the house, he runs to greet them and then as soon as they give him some attention and pet him, he gets even more excited and runs off in search of Red Monkey (shown in pic below). Usually he will bring Monkey back and let you grab it so he can wrestle you for it. He'll even follow you around with Monkey in his mouth waiting for you to fight him for it.

I frequent a Shih Tzu forum at: [url]http://forums.doghobbyist.com/forum.php?catid=149[/url] Someone started a thread asking for advice on getting their Shih Tzu to eat dry food after being on a special soft diet due to an illness. It was always my understanding that short of BARF (or a similar fresh-food diet), high-quality dry kibble was the best food. Below is a post from a well-respected member of that Shih Tzu forum and it didn't sound right to me. Nobody has questioned her advice and I was wondering what you dogomaniacs think about it: Let me ask a question... why do you want her to eat dry food? It's not really good for dogs, and the only reason we use it so much is that it's cheap and convenient for us. Fresh homemade is best if you can do it, but if not, a quality canned food would be better than kibble. ----- Christie Caber Feidh Scottish Deerhounds Holistic Husbandry since 1986 [url]www.caberfeidh.com/[/url]

[quote name='DeafAussieLover']i was feeding my dogs pedigree and just recently swetiched to chicken soup dog food, my dogs love it![/quote] OT - DAL, glad to hear that yours are doing well after the changever to Chicken Soup. Miles has been thriving on CSFDLS and we are very happy with the results.

Can't offer any specific advice except to see this thread: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=12997&highlight=pepper[/url] Looks like you aren't the only one with this problem.

I have been feeding Miles Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul for the past few months now. One day Miles decided that he hated Cannidae (he went on a hunger strike and wouldn't touch the stuff) and we experimented with Innova but it was too rich for the little guy. We decided to give Chicken Soup a shot based on its great ingredient list and recommendations from others. Miles loves it and everyone is happy. He poops less than when he was on the Cannidae and Innova (you don't want to know what he was pooping while on Innova!!!), he has no gas (that we know of) and he is healthy, shiny and active. It is also less expensive than almost every other "high-end" food we tried. Ingredients for the adult dog version: Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

If you haven't found it already, there is a website, and a forum, just for people in the dog walking/pet sitting business. Lots of people here who have started and now run their own successful doggie businesses. [url]http://www.petsitters.com/[/url] [url]http://mb.petsitters.com/forum/[/url]

8-12 months was when my Miles 'came into his own' and started testing the boundaries of his own independence, so that's what it sounds like to me. You may start to notice that Webster relies on you less and starts to push his own boundaries by ignoring commands and trying to assert his own will. Essentially he is a teenager and from what I hear, raising a teenager is no fun! Miles and I got through this phase by getting even more attention from me. I discouraged the bad behavior and episodes where he "forgot" (yeah right) a command and really encouraged the good with praise and treats. Essentially, we stepped back to when he was a younger puppy that was just learning the rules. You may need to re-assert yourself as alpha, remind him that obeying you is fun (treats and praise) and do not reward any of his actions that display an attempt at independence. This is terrible advice for raising a human child but I think that it really works with a dog. You will get through this, but you need to be vigilant and pay even more attention to him now.

No offense taken K. My initial reaction was based on my reading of your post to mean that barking/whining/crying is based on the type of breed, as if a mature toy breed would still have this problem. I now see that we are all talking about babies. No one can ever expect a baby not to cry. They're babies, it's what they do!

First, and not to impugn K who knows a heck of a lot more about dogs than me, saying that this (excessive barking) has something to do with having a tiny dog is just wrong. Many toy breeds, particularly the Shih Tzu, have been breed to be [i]silent[/i] partners. By their very nature, Shih Tzus are quiet dogs not prone to yappiness. I have 3 Shih Tzus in my life, one of them my own, and the only time any of them bark is when they get together and start roughhousing and getting crazy. Unfortunately, and I don't know that it is the problem here, but one of the most common ways that bad breeding manifests itself in Shih Tzus is with excessive yappiness. I'm not saying that it can't be corrected, but it isn't natural for a Shih Tzu. Having said all of that, it is possible that your little pup is just scared being so young and away from its mother and littermates. Maybe your little girl decided to skip crying and whining and go straight to barking! Other than that, Cassie and K's advice is good. You have to do everything you can to comfort the little one, but it is important NOT to reinforce the barking by paying any attention to the dog when it's going on. Rewards and comfort should be given to quiet dogs, not barking ones. Think of it this way, every time you take the pup out, speak in nice loving tones or give the dog a treat while she is upset and freaking out, you are actually rewarding her for the behavior and going backwards in your training towards a well-settled puppy. Not to fault you, but I doubt that your pup would have gone on for 45 minutes if she didn't believe, as she learned the night before, that you would eventually come and "rescue" her. Last but not least. You have a 9 week old Shih Tzu and you haven't posted pictures?!?!?! Get on that NOW! I've never met a person that didn't melt in the face of a Shih Tzu puppy. [edited to say that the first part of my post, regarding yappiness and bad breeding, is really geared towards barking during the day, at noises, birds, strangers, the wind. . . . Whining, crying and I guess barking are not that uncommon in any breed at such a young age when spending the first few nights/weeks away from its mother]

I agree with the two pieces of advice that you have gotten so far. Instead of automatically thinking that these new neighbors will be a bad thing (frightening your daughter, barking, etc.), see how things play out and hope for the best. Odds are that your neighbors will be nice people who have a wonderful, loving dog and who will understand the natural fears of children when around such a large dog. Just think, this may be your best opportunity to get your child over her fear. I would never force a child or dog into a situation where they didn't feel comfortable, but if the time is right and if the dog turns out to have the right temperament, he could really be a blessing. There is something about a large, hulking dog that is a big softy and loves children. . . . While breeding and upbringing play a huge part, a quick, 5 minute search on the web uncovered these generic references to the Italian Spinone (aka Italian Griffon): "Extremely intelligent, happy, upbeat and enthusiastic, the Spinone Italiano is a pleasant, easy-going breed. . . Never bossy or whiny (unless constantly ignored), this gentle soul loves children - those he knows and those he does not." "The Spinone's grumpy appearance contrasts with its gentle and affectionate disposition. It has a great capacity for learning and the desire to satisfy its master most completely. Very sociable, courageous, loyal and an excellent companion." "The Italian Spinone is know for its calm, docile, demeanor, making them a great addition to any family. They are very gentle dogs with great amounts of loyalty and compassion to give to their owner."

We crate trained Miles from 11 weeks through 6 months. While we don't use a crate anymore, it was an invalueable tool for housetraining, keeping him safe when no one could watch him and providing him with a safe place of his own. My pup would go into his crate willingly and would certainly never consider it a 'jail.' I credit our ease in training Miles to the effectiveness of proper crate usage. Guida, you are either misinformed or just a troll.

First off, you MUST register here and post some pictures of your pup. There is nothing like a Shih Tzu pup. I agree with K. Are you purchasing from a breeder? If so, what did they use for weening and what are they feeding now. Also, what are they doing selling such a young pup? 6 weeks is very young for a Shih Tzu to be away from its litter, and mom. Worse case, you can always find a high-quality puppy kibble and simply soak it in warm water for a minute or two before feeding. As for actual recommendations, there are so many quality foods out there. Personally, I recommend Wellness, Innova, Blue Buffalo, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover. . . Check out this site for product overviews and reviews: [url]http://www.greatgoldens.com/reviews/dogcomp.htm[/url] Feel free to contact me if you need to talk Shih Tzu. We purchased Miles at 11 weeks and he is now a wonderful, playful, loving and HEALTHY 10 month old. Have fun, they grow up fast.

A couple of comments: First, it is possible for people to give TOO much good advice. Boiled chicken/beef and white rice is a good thing. The foods that you are considering and trying are all good foods. Yogurt, in moderation, is a good thing for doggies' stomachs. BUT, it is possible that you are trying too many remedies, too many changes, where all your dog may need is some time and stability. For what it's worth, when I got Miles as a puppy, he was on Eukanuba puppy and his stools were hard as rocks. He looked like it hurt to get those suckers out! We changed him to Wellness puppy and he did a 180. Very soft (not diarhea, but much too soft) and much more often that when he was on the Euk. After 5 months on Wellness nothing changed about his poops and we decided to get him on adult food. After he rejected the adult Wellness we brought home, we offered Canidae*. He loved it, still loves it and so do we. We have found the perfect middle-ground with Canidae - not too hard, not too soft, not too often. . . . Keep in mind though, it may take time. Let his system calm down and accept the changes that you are making. *Side note about Canidae. There is a phenomenon that many who have changed to Canidae have experienced and we are no exception. Miles never paid any attention to his poops when he was eating Euk or Wellness, but once started on Canidae he become a poop eater! We are not the first who have discovered this. A 2 week regiment of Deter did the trick, but I just thought I should warn you that you need to keep a close eye on both the dog and the poop until you know that you can trust the dog not to make a second meal out of it!

In the past I have ordered online from both 1-800 Pet Meds as well as Drs. Foster and Smith. I have had great service from both companies but made the switch to Drs. Foster and Smith when they started beating 1-800 Pet Meds' prices on Interceptor and Frontline. [url]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/[/url]

I believe that it has to do with the dogs' physiology and the fact that they don't sweat, they cool down by panting. This means that generally they exhale a much warmer breath than humans. This past summer we took Miles to a park on a hot day. He was dog tired when we got back in the car and stuck his face right in the blowing air conditioner vent. Sure enough, his breath was coming out clear as day, just as if we were walking outside in frigid temps. Like now!

As an extension of Samsmama's post about protecting her doggy's pads in the cold weather, I was wondering about the use of salt to melt snow and ice on roads and driveways. We have no choice but to walk Miles on salted roads and sidewalks, and when we do, I always make sure that I wash his paws off when we come in and that he doesn't start licking them. So far I haven't noticed any cracking or irritation, but I am keeping a close eye on him. As this is our first winter with a dog, I stopped using any salt on our driveway and steps; this is simply not going to work. Someone is going to kill themselves out there and it will be my fault! So. . . . does anyone know of any pet-friendly melting salt or have any tips on snow and ice removal?

Well it has been a full month since changing Miles to Canidae and we all seem to be very happy. The beginning is always easy as Miles will never turn down something new, but it seems like we have jumped a hurdle as now, even though it's not new anymore, he still seems to enjoy it. No more eating 2 bites and walking away, no more bribing him with yogurt. He seems to be pooping less with the Canidae and the stools seems a bit firmer too. All in all, very happy with the changed, WITH ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION: It seems that it is true: since changing to Canidae, Miles has suddenly become very interested in eating his poop! He never tried it while on Euk or Wellness, but he seems to think that it is some treat now that he is eating Canidae. Two times there was a little evidence of poop-eating, but it was confirmed the other day when he pooped it out and IMMEDIATELY turned around to gobble it down. Freaked me out! We skipped the Accent, meat tenderizer and other, cheaper remedies. Instead we went right to the pet store and bought Deter. He has been on the pills for 3 days now but he hasn't had the opportunity to try some of his home-made delicacy. I know that I should let him try because the Deter is supposed to make it really bad. So far I've been too squeemish to even let him try. I'll keep you informed.

Looks like I'm in the minority here, as usual, but Miles will be getting some goodies to celebrate HANUKKAH with his family. He will be getting a singing dradel and singing menorah, like these: [url]http://www.doggy-gifts.com/s.nl/c.ACCT130753/sc.23/category.189/.f;jsessionid=2ce2a8c9397a4c64a3c09a91f376d8a4[/url] plus, maybe an edible goody or two that he otherwise would not get to eat. Maybe gefiltafish or kasha. . . he'll be the first jew in our family to eat that crap!

Check out the site below, petsitters.com. The content of the site itself isn't that great, but the forum (message board) is filled with people who dog walk and pet sit for a living. While the board isn't as active and doesn't have as many members as dogomania, those people know everything about pet sitting and will no doubt be able to answer any question you can come up with. [url]http://www.petsitters.com/[/url] [Edit - I just checked out the petsitters forum for the first time in a long time. They have changed the format to a more user-friendly (like dogomania) format, but it looks like a lot of great advice and old posts haven't yet made the move. Don't be discouraged by the lack of info. Those people are chock-full of good advice]