Stewie_the_Frenchie

My vet told me to confine him for a couple of days - IMPOSSIBLE! He was so full of energy, I was expecting him to be drowsy for at least 24hrs, nuh-uh :shakehead: .

Turtle is a very robust dog though, he's virtually bulletproof. I kept him in a run, and took him for gentle walks after a week. The main thing for him was not to jump up on anything - that was going to stretch and pop them (he did jump up a couple of times, but it was ok).

Keep them dry, too - there was terential rain when he got done and it was difficult to do, but we just had to to avoid infection. Is Rover an inside dog? This might make it easier...

Good luck :rolleyes:

ETA: agree, the vet definitely should have given you written instructions - give them a call if not

Hi guys,

I got home yesterday afternoon to take Turtle to the vet, and he was all bouncy and happy like his usual self. I decided to put off the vet and monitor if his condition kept getting better or not. He was full of beans last night until he crashed at about 8pm (which is normal), and then this morning he was sleepy and dozy (but that's normal too). He's eating all his food again, and his poo was more solid this morning. I'm still just giving him rice and a couple of biscuits though, just to go easy on the tum.

So far so good

Thanks for all your help guys

It's totally hit and miss with Turtle.

Bought him 2 kongs - not interested (thanks Turtle...$$$... : )

His two favourite toys are a web duster brush, a massive plastic bone, and bottle tops (before I get hold of him), and my crochet squares.

Go figure...

Yeah, a phone consult would probably be best to start with...Thanks Clyde for the idea

mc, we've been giving him a little gatorayde to make sure he's hydrated.

He was a bit better this morning, quite hungry as he didn't have dinner last night - I just gave him some rice and biscuits (we didn't have chicken). He was a little more chirpy. I'm still going to call the vet though...

Thanks guys.

Thanks guys, will go ahead with chick/rice and try to get to the vet tomorrow - it's hard when it's over 200km away! But his health definitely comes first.

ed to add 'tomorrow' - came out wrong!

As a new dog owner, I'm not sure if Turtle's symptoms are worth taking him to the vet or not, and considering we live remote and have to add extra $$$ and lots of them to the vet bill through petrol, I was after some opinions...(please )

The last few days, Turtle has been quiet. Sleeping a lot, lying down. Usually he sleeps a bit, but not this much. His poo is runny and over the last week or so has lost his appetite. He has some sores on his feet at the moment which we are treating him for, could this be causing it? He is also shedding his coat, does this make them feel off? He will have little spurts of energy, but because he's not eating properly he just crashes. Should I vary his diet to entice him to eat or will this just play with his tummy more?

He's just not his normal chipper self. When I came home the other day there was a pool of green liquid in the laundry - I'm not sure if it was poo or vomit, but I'm assuming it came from him.

Might he just have runny tummy, or could it be something more? I know it's probably best to go to the vet, but the vet that's closest to us is only open wed, thu...should I wait that long, or do I go to the next town to their other clinic?

I'm worried about him, but maybe I'm over reacting as this is the first time I've had him crook.

By the way he's 11 months old and a male Newfie.

Any opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Jed, I've bought one already, but I will take your advice and use it as a grooming tool rather. I'll use the OMG to get the matts out I think...

Thanks Ari, will do

Thanks for the warning Winterpaws...did Charlie's coat grow back properly? I know it's not like clipping, but I'm paranoid I'm going to ruin his coat

OMG, Mistral is a little bundle of goodness! What a face!

Hi Newnef,

I have been wondering how Turtle is getting on.

Matts..horrible job, I have found the Plush puppy OMG spray is great and helps seperate the matts (you can get in online) and also the PP seabreeze oil in the bath keeps the knots away, this stuff has cut my grooming time in half!!!. Spray OMG into the mat and comb through starting at the ends and holding the comb vertical, tease the matt out little by little . If it is very tight matting you can split the mat with sissors or thinning sissors.

Poor Turtle , I hope he had fun though. I think fun is more important than knots in coats too.

Hi ashka1!

Turtle is going great guns (well, except for the current little problem).

Thanks for your advice on the matts. I got some advice to get a Mars Coat King - have you used these before? I think it cuts out the under coat and any matting - will the under coat grow back?

Hmmm...

How's the georgous baby Bella doing???

AARRGGHH!!! What to do, what to do??!!

Just kidding... :wink:

I'll try a little of the serum as it's not all that "wet" (I know, it doesn't make much sense!). We'll see how it goes...

Thanks to all for your suggestions, I may end up trying all of them at once and have a Newfie paste on my hands and end up with a new breed of Newfie - the hairless variety! Anyone heard of Nads?!

Great, thanks winterpaws - got some serum at home...I'll give it a whirl tonight!

I would find another kennel.

Thanks for taking the time out, but that doesn't really answer my question or help me.

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try...

This kennel is the only kennel in Broome, so it's my only choice - he could stay at the vet but they don't walk them or let them play... ;) To me, it's more important that my dog has a good time.

Hi everyone!

Turtle was in the kennel for three weeks and is very matted...some is down to his skin. I can't get into a groomer as we live remote, so I have to DIY it!

Any suggestions?

When u take your pup out for (wee wee)or whatever you call it; repeat the word over & over again :stay with pup til it performs do not go inside till mission acumplished ;& then praise praise praise!!ITs hard going to start with but it pays of in the long run good luck

:D

this works like a dream

with mine, i started him on newspaper...that seemed to get the idea into his head that he couldn't just go anywhere he wanted. then after about 3 weeks, we moved it outside.

agree with the others, you have to watch them like a hawk...it's a pain in the ass, but you just have to put the hard yards in first to get your desired result.

the first 24 hours will feel like a whirlwind, so will the next couple of months! stick in there, it will be worth it

Oh surely not georgous little Diesel?!

Ha, it's funny how they turn overnight - Turtle was the same, but getting back to training does help! Cosmolo will definitely help you out - by the way, I will email you Turtle's progress Tamara! Sorry, hijacking!

Hi Ahona,

Just want to say I'm glad all is going well with your pup - I remember when he was just a twinkle in your eye! Keep up the good work!

ahh, i like memphis! that's a great one

Hi Meg,

I don't know if you can really "train" the pup to be just yours, it will just happen naturally. If you are the one to feed it, train it, walk it, play with it - then it will simply just recognise you as its pack leader. If you control all its pleasures in life, as above, then the dog will look to you.

You sound very excited, I know it's hard to wait...I couldn't think of anything else before getting my boy!

Good luck

Hi everyone,

I thought I might let you know how Turtle is doing now that we are back in the Kimberley after our Christmas break.

As you know, we saw Cosmolo for some professional training, and it made all the difference in the world. We now know Turtle is not a dominant dog - he is just very big and like to play...sometimes a little roughly! The corrections we have been using have worked and now we rarely have to correct, but just let out an "ugh!!" and he knows to back off. We've also trained him with the word "out!", which has helped a lot when he gets in our faces when we're lying on the couch!

He is turning into the sweetest dog, he has a lovely gentle temperament and a big heart. I feel like he loves us more and more each day and vice versa. He's becoming a georous sook, and loves his cuddles now which I love too.

He is also becoming a lot calmer around the kids which is fantastic. He licks their faces, but there's no jumping up or nipping anymore.

Thanks for everyone's amazing support, it helped us so much to get through this tricky time.

Here's some long awaited pics of the boy who is now 8 1/2 months old. They're not great, the flash is not his friend!

Thanks persephone!

He's going soooo well. All those problems have disappeared thanks to professional training and I think him growing up a bit too. He is turning into such a sweetheart! The household is now stress-free again, which is great for all concerned :rolleyes:

Hi guys,

For the last couple of days, Turtle has been limping on various legs. We checked all the structural stuff and it didn't seem to be that, so we thought it might be a grass seed. We decided to take him to the vet last night (vet is 3 hour round trip) She checked his feet and found all these little sores on the bottom. Apparently when he gets his feet wet, they don't dry poperly because of the fur, and sand also gets stuck in there and it gets messy. I felt so bad, poor little pup. I usually trim his foot hair, but didn't realise I should be clipping them.

It's funny how you think you know everything about your pup, and something else just comes and hits you from behind!Anyway, I'm so glad it was something that can be fixed and avoided next time!