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Thanks guys. :) SRC, I've never seen the iVillage site before. Thanks. It didn't exatly help much since Felix's sypmtoms didn't match any of the ones listed. I will however keep the page bookmarked for future referances. Mouse, the problem with finding a vet that other Cavalier owners see is that I've only ever seen 1 other Cavalier and his owner. They were coming out of PetSmart as we were going in. The owner said that they were just leaving the vet's office there. I talked to the vet there and well... I'm not still not sure about him. He maybe the only choice I have though... especially for this situation.

Okay... here's the deal. Since August Felix has been having sporadic(sp?) but brief periods where he starts coughing for no reason. At first I thought it was because he enjoyed sleeping in the windows at the old house. August afternoons in Moses Lake reach into 100's and the front windows faced west... so the heat just boiled into the house if I left the curtains opened. Of course Felix always went behind the curtains so he could enjoy the sun. :roll: But they have continued here. And the other day he was in my closet with me (no sun) when he started coughing again. These spurts only seem to subside when I put Felix in my lap and scratch his ears until he's alseep. Last night I was babysitting for someone who works with my hubby. The both left here around 3pm and I didn't expect them back until midnight. So I stayed up waiting... had 3 cups of coffee to help me make it too. :morning: Now maybe it was my over tired brain work too hard to deplete the caffine supply before I fell into bed who knows? But I finally realized how long Felix's coughing spurts have been going on and remembered what I had once read about the CKCS and MVD. Sporadic coughing spurts are a small indication that something is wrong with the heart but don't neccarly(sp?) point to MVD... it could be his lungs for all I know. AS comprehension dawned I nearly cried. :bigcry: Worse case... he has MVD and I could lose him in the next few months or 12 years. Best case... I don't know... my mind can't get past MVD. I know I need to take him into see a vet but I've yet to find one I like in this area. I have problems finding doctors of any kind that I like well enough to trust. It's a left-over feeling from growing up in the Air Force and seeing how much my mom hated seeing military doctors. (Stupid I know but there it is) I went through 12 peds before I found one I liked and am still making the trip back to Moses Lake for the boys' check ups. I would do this for a vet too but I didn't particularly like the one I saw in Moses Lake. Felix is very much one of my children and I wouldn't trust any physician I couldn't talk to without worring how I'll be treated for my concerns. I'll have to find one soon. I went in search for more information on MVD and maybe find a support forum to help me figure it all out and deal it last night... got no where. :( Anyways... had to talk to someone other then hubby who is just as concerned as I am about this. Amanda

[quote]if I could afford it, I would have taken them all home![/quote] Spoken like a true Dogomaniac!! Glad to hear Sid is doing much better, Pit Retriever. :D Amanda

[quote]looks from me to the bowl with a look that plainly says - you can't possibly make me wait much longer - I'm starrrrrving![/quote] :rofl: I've seen that look. Every morning when Felix gets his breakfast. LOL He gets more frantic when Kristopher (my 5yr old) feeds. :rofl: Amanda

You're Welcome :D :D Glad I could help!

Have you tried crating all of the dogs when the puppy needs to sleep? Or giving her a toy to occupy her (i.e. stuffed Kong) while in the crate until she falls asleep? If they fail try this... fix up a corner for the puppy to sleep during the day preferably somewhere a bit difficult for your son the get into like between the couch and the wall. Teach her to sleep there and your son that it is her nap corner and to treat it just like he would her crate (I assume that because you have other adult dogs you have already taught your son the crates are not toys or playground equipment and he cannot play in or around them especially when the dogs are in them :wink: ). Not an easy task I know, my boys are 5 yrs and 15 months, and are especially gifted at climbing into, around, through, or over any obstical in their way... must be a boy thing *sigh* Amanda

Hey Crested! If you feel the box is unsafe for Ben then dispose of it. Don't sell it just get rid of it. From what you have said the box poses a saftey hazard for Ben. Chances are it's going to pose one for who ever you sell it to as well. Find a way to get rid of it safely if you can. I'd start by asking my vet then talking to the humane society. As for getting a crate. Go for it if you feel it will be safer and more appealing for Ben. :) Amanda[/quote]

Felix has never had a problem with the kids and bathtime. We've had him for almost a year. He's only interrupted it a few times... but it's been enough for me to realize that it's going to be a problem. Plus it's not only bathtime he interupts it's just the worst time. When we were in the house there's never was a problem taking him out at anytime. It was one story with lots of windows so even after the sun went down I could always keep an eye on the kids while I was out with Felix. But now we're in a third floor apartment so there's no way for me to keep an eye the kids while I'm out with Felix. Right now I'm putting the kids in their room and closing the door for the few minutes I'm out with the dog. (I trained Felix to "hurry" while at the house so we're only out for 5-10 minutes at a time) The longer I have to do this the less I like it. Especially right now as Kurtis has been throwing up and running a fever. The best solution that my husband and I could come up with to solve this delema was to litter-train Felix. The only problem is knowing how to train him right without causing undue complications in the process. We know that it will take a long time and a lot of patience.

Sorry... I tend forget that not everyone knows Felix. :oops: Felix is a 17 month old Tri-color Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Does that help some, Kat? If you need more info let me know.

At first I thought there wouldn't too much of a problem taking Felix downstairs to do his business... But I have since learned otherwise. Felix tends to pick the worst times to need out. In the last two weeks I've had to cut bathtime short on the boys or deal with a mess curtasy of Felix several times. :hmmmm: So I've been looking around at the different petstores in town (Petsmart is right around the corner) and have found doggy litter boxes. Now here's my problem... how difficult would it be to train Felix to a box? We have a balcony with a 4 foot [b]SOLID[/b]wall and I thought I could put it out there. What steps would I need to follow to retrain him? Would it be like box training a cat or am I way off base here? I know there are doggy litters out there too but the only brand I've found has been Purina... are there any others I should be looking for? If so can anyone direct me to price lists? What should I be looking for in a litter? That's all I have for the moment.. I really appreciate the input guys :) Amanda

Over the last month Felix has been acting strange. He's only 16 months old right now and I thought that he was being a typical adolensent and trying to establish dominence over Kusac. But Mom brought him back to me this morning and told me about his behavior over the last couple of days. For the most part he had a blast with Mom's Shitz tzu, Sammy and Lab, Abby. Then she said he did something unsual for him. He snapped at her fingers when she tried to give him a treat after dinner. :hmmmm: He's been snapping at Kusac when it comes to food and toys too. He's also jumped up and lightly nipped at my fingers as I'm walking through the house a few times. Mom and I both corrected him imediately each time. But I'm wondering if this recent change is because he knows something is up. Rich hasn't been home for longer then 2 days at a time for the last month and I'm packing like crazy (I haven't packed anything that belongs to him... that'll be one of the last set of things I pack). Is he feeling a little insecure or is this a dominence issue? What's the best way to reassure him if he is insecure? Thanks, Amanda

Take her to the vet and see if something is physically wrong. Then find a canine behaveriourlist in your area. It sounds to me that she is changing somehow for some reason. I wish I could tell you more. :( Someone else here might be able to help you a bit better then I can. Good Luck

My first question is rather obvious... has Journey been spayed? If she hasn't... when was her last heat cycle? Sudden snippiness and bad attitude in general can be a sign of pregnancy, I've been told. Whether she has or not I'd take her to the vet as soon as possible... something may have become crossed in her brain. This may also be the cause of her snippyness. But that's just my first thought... I've never actually experianced anything like this but I've been on Dogo long enough to learn a few things that I might not have known before. Hope Journey gets better soon. Amanda

I saw an actual doggie doorbell at... I think it was Foster's and Smith online. But it was a couple of years ago so I'm not exactly sure. It wouldn't hurt to take a look.

ME! Felix and Kusac trade food dishes all the time. It's gotten to the point that I have to lock Kusac in the laundry room until they are BOTH finished eating. That way I know they both have gotten enough of their individual nutrional needs. As long as Roxy is getting all her nutrional needs there's no need to worry.

Cool! Can I come... I would love to spend money on the four-legged ones around here for a change? :multi:

Where exactly do you groom him? Do you put him on a table, the floor, or in you lap? When I first got Felix, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, (he's a little dog too :wink: ) he refused to stand still on the table when I brushed him. I'd talk to him while brushing and gently but firmly reprimand when he tried to move... even tried the treats with him but he still moved. Finally, out of frustration, I picked him up and sat in my big, comfy rocking chair with him in my lap and brushed him there. He fell alseep. :roll: Now he lets me pick him up and rotate him around like a rag-doll so I can get to those hard to reach areas of him while he's laying in my lap. He sleeps through the whole ordeal. Hope this helped some. If not then I hope I gave you some encouragement to keep trying until something works for you and your lil' one. :D Amanda

Thanks for sharing RNP. I know what you mean by that one dog in your life that is something special 'cause I had one just like your Brianna. Her name was Sandy, she was an English Cocker Spaniel mix, and my dad brought her home from the pound on the day he was told she was going to be put to sleep. He had hopes of making a bird dog out of her but she turned out to be gun shy :roll: In the end she became my dog... I was 5 yrs old when she came home to us. Everytime Dad got orders to a new base she moved with us. When I became old enough to start dating she started growling at every boy I brought home to meet mom and dad except one... Rich. She walked up to him the first time he walked into the house and demanded that he scratch her ears while everyone else stood around slack jawed. I married him a year later. Less then a year later Kristopher was born. I remember the first time I brought him home to meet her... she refused to talk to me for 2 weeks. :roll: We lost her the week before Christmas of 2000. It wan't until I got Felix that I realized what gem she really was. There are times when I look at Felix and see Sandy looking back at me. Sorry... couldn't stop once I got started. :oops:

LOL! I loved the cat diary. It's not quite Kusac though... anyone who has told me they have "allergies" to cats but love them any way has never had a reaction to Kusac :niewiem: not even my 3yr old nephew, who breaks out in hives when he touches a single cat hair but still managed to grab Kusac by the tail and swing him around the room one afternoon, didn't react. I have a very unigue (sp?) kitty cat.

'Cause my youngest son just did the most adorable thing and I wish I could show it to you. :( Kurtis is only 14 months old but he's already shows signs of following his mom's footsteps and loving animals. There's a pile of dirty clothes right outside of the utility room that I just haven't gotten around to throwing in wash yet :oops: Kusac was sleeping in the middle of it purring loudly. Kurtis walked up to him and layed his head down on Kusac's side and just listened. The look of pure joy in my boy's eyes was overwelming.

Yes, Courtnek, I'm writing a story. :D This is kind of new to me. The last thing I wrote was a college essay on "American Baby" magazine. But for some reason this story is hanging on to me for all it's worth and I have to get a few detials worked out before it will let go. The problem is that everytime I think I'm getting somewhere a new question occurs to me about a certain detail and I'm unable to contiue until it's been sorted. I know your next question is going to be... why did I choose the IW? I'm not sure I'll be able to answer that until I'm finished. But until then, thank you for answering my most recent questions. And please, be patient with me as I'm sure there are going to be several more that'll need answering. :fadein:

Thanks :D My brain is working on overload right now and the smallest details are ecaping me. But I need them before I can move on. :oops: For the record... Lena is a figment of my imagination... she and her pups are not real. :wink:

Hmmmmmm.... in that case, what could possibly force an IW to be terrified enough of the human race that a bitch would birth a litter of pups in sea cave as far away from ppl as she could get? Ugh! That didn't come out the way I wanted. :evil: Here read this... Darius would never forget the day he found Lena in that cave. Could it have only been a year and a half ago? It seems like a lifetime. He

My CLEAN laundry! Felix pulls the clothes off the couch, beds, or out of the baskets and hides them all over the house. I'm forever rewashing stuff. :roll: He has toys to chew on but he prefers the laundry.

Please don't get upset about this question. It's only a question and if my project goes in a direction I don't like I promise that I will terminate it immediately. But I don't think that'll happen. ([size=2]I hope[/size]) First let me thank all who have helped answer my original question about Irish Wolfhounds. I really appreciate it. :D :D Now for my question... have IW's ever been used in fight rings? Please, please, please don't get upset and yell at me. :puppydogeyes: I don't mean to upset anybody. My project involves a rescue of one that may or may not have been used in a fight ring. I repeat... I'm not sure where this is going and can only hope all goes well. Okay? :buzi: :buzi: