RuralPug

Why not put your mind at ease by taking a sample of the yellow poo to your vet? That way you will get the correct tests done...

He's quite clever at training you to pay attention to him when he carries on isn't he? My method when puppies do this is to ham it up and look totally offended, stiff body, gasp with horror and turn a cold shoulder. Puppies that haven't been taken from the nest too young usually understand this body language very well and will back off and reconsider their actions - ""oops, I've horrified my human, what did I do wrong?" Then while they're sitting quietly trying to work out why their plan to get you to to play didn't work, you can be very instantly pleased and show happy but calm body lady language and gentle praise that wow! Good Puppy sits patiently! If puppy doesn't cease the attention seeking behaviour within 30 seconds then I will give a command to sit or drop or go to bed, whichever he knows and when puppy does as asked I instantly turn into rainbows and lollipops and praise - not excitedly as when I'm in training mode, but gently, so they know they are doing the right thing but don't get over excited. Sometimes at first you may need Oscar star qualities to switch back and forth between "shocked at puppy behavior" and "very pleased with puppy behaviour" but I've found that even the dumbest puppy will pick it up fairly quickly if you are consistent and quick enough so that puppy can link your reaction to the actual behavior. Puppies that ignore the command and don't respond at all to the will get 'time out' in a safe place like a bathroom for a few minutes. I carry them there at arms length, with averted face, so that they know I am upset with them. Body language again. I don't use their crate or pen as the time out place, because I want that to be their happy place while they are learning, but some do and make it work. It is really important for you to have lots of quality time and short training sessions and play sessions with your puppy, but it is very important that YOU decide when those frequent times will be and don't let puppy be the boss.

I assume that you attempted to post a picture of Sumpy? Unfortunately, we can't see it. That may be because it is your first post? You may need to link to an outside picture library for us to see the picture until you have the minimum number of posts to add a picture here (I'm not precisely sure.) Assuming that he was a mixture of more than one breed, which is likely if your Dad doesn't know the official breed, the genetic lottery on mixed breeds doesn't guarantee that you will get the same amount of intelligence, receptivity and temperament that Sumpy had. Even within a pure breed for many generations pups from the same litter can have different temperaments within the breed template. And "smarts" and "loyalty" in a dog are as much nurture as they are are nature, which means that the very early training that Sumpy had (partly from his mother and other dogs around the place plus what he learnt from humans at a young age) gave him the structure to learn how to learn, if I've made that clear. Just getting another dog that looks like him or is the same mix is no guarantee that you will get the same character. So perhaps you could tell us a little more about the sort of dog that would best suit your parents for instance: - what size? - how active? - is an 'off switch' important? - how much coat maintenance can your parents undertake or afford? - how much time and work are they willing to put into training? - do they prefer a more independent dog who can happily spend an hour of two in the garden or are they ok with a dog that wants to be with its people 24/7? - is it important that the dog has a relatively short adolescent (teenage troubles) or can they work around that? That would give us a great start to suggest a breed or breeds that they could look into.

I was aware that a species of beetle had been imported some years back for parks etc. but i didn't know that you could buy them! Alas, a quick google shows that they are out of my budget range at the moment, so I'll stick with the worms.

Adding chicken feet to bones and on low in a slow cooker for 18 hours or so is how I make bone broth that jellies a little after a few hours n the fridge. Without the chicken feet, it always stays liquid. Well done with Sooty!

How old are the puppies? What size breed and how many in the litter? These things all make a difference on whether or not to start weaning. I usually start weaning when the dam says it's time and start with small amounts of scrambled egg and a little minced roo.

What is happening @ricrunner? Is the puppy safe?

Not finding any info at all could be good or bad. I couldn't find them on this list which in my book would count heavily against them.

I am confused. Reading about what happens when you offer the food - do I have it correctly that your dog attacks you when you offer him food of any kind? This is not what I am used to when people use the term "food aggression". They normally mean resource guarding of the food, which is not actually happening here - unless it is happening mega, with the dog attacking you to get what he considers 'his' food? I am glad that you are seeing a VB and a behaviorist. I wouldn't know where to start, I guess to habituate the dog to seeing food and food givers as good things. In regard to your original question, can you use doors in your current home the same way that you used doors in your last home? For example, encourage the dog to go into the bathroom (with a toy or something) and close the door. place his prepared food down in the laundry and close that door. Then let your boy out of the bathroom, and get him to the laundry door (no baby gate) and once he is in, close the door and let him eat in peace. The advantage with crate training is that the dog can eat in the crate and feel safe there. The food can be prepared and placed in the crate and then the dog let out of wherever he was safely held while the food prep was happening, he can then go to the crate and eat. But you would need to do crate training first, using a tug toy or some other device he enjoys.

Nice to see the media spreading the word!

It is extremely hard when you see a situation like this and the appropriate authorities are a fair distance away. They will try to avoid investigating, but don't allow them to fob you off. You can supply video from your phone to them to prove the urgency of the situation. Please do not seize the puppy unless instructed to do so by the proper authorities. If you do not feel that you can discuss this calmly with the neighbour to improve the situation for the pup, then at least telephone shire authorities and your state RSPCA with all of the details you have given here. It is essential that you document each and every conversation/report that you make. The lack of shelter and lack of shade and water in high temperatures is abusive and the authorities should act. Do not assume that they will not act - provided that you report the situation calmly and completely they are required by law to investigate. I would also have a chat with the local police about the situation and not just about the pup because if you are correct and the wife and kids wish to give the puppy correct shelter etc but are prevented from doing so by the household male, there might be some inappropriate bullying behaviour happening there which the local police need to be aware of. In the best case, the police will have a chat with the pup's owner about appropriate shelter etc. In the worst case, they will do nothing except file your report. Just explain the whole situation calmly to them. If the pup gets off it's lead and ends up in your yard, I would be driving the pup the 200km to the Shire offices to hand over pup to the local ranger. Don't overlook the local community in rural areas - if severe injustice is happening and the community finds put about it, peer pressure can sometimes achieve what confrontation cannot. For example the headmaster of the local primary school, the local postmaster or general store keeper, the local publican and other community leaders can be approached for advice in how you should deal with the situation.

Excellent that he is on the serum! I would add a long lasting artificial tears (gel form is best - available from any pharmacy over the counter. Genteal gel is my favourite) every five hours (but not within an hour of the serum so you need to work out a schedule LOL). And avoid all strong light. Yep, 15 days is not too scary a time if it is a deep ulcer, certainly not if you have been changing meds during that time - from the list of things you've already tried, you haven't been using the serum all that long yet? Try not to let his stressing stress you to much, give the serum etc. another 10 days before considering anything surgical. If no improvement at all in other 10 days I would consult with a veterinary eye specialist. And don't panic too much that it is his only remaining eye, he relies more on his nose than his eyes anyway, which is always good to keep in mind!

Possibly, but kidneys are closer to the back/spine than the loin area. It might simply be that those matts are close to the skin and pulling. Given the circumstances, perhaps just cut them out rather than trying to work them free?

I'm so sorry for your loss. May I suggest that before you get a replacement puppy you arrange for fencing to avoid this tragedy ever being repeated?

I have only ever had male Tibbies here so I haven't any direct experience with female Tibbie hormonal coat loss, but based on other breeds, I would have thought that a couple of months is far too long for even an extreme seasonal thinning - hormones would have stabilised and coat regrowth have noticeably begun by now. The vet would have noticed the new growth for sure so I imagine that something else is happening.

Breeds with large protruding eyes and short or flat faces are particularly susceptible to eye injury. I have decades of experience covering dozens of different categories of corneal ulcer. So your little Shih Tzu has not shown much improvement in two weeks? My regime for treating corneal ulcers is as follows: (1) get immediate vet consult within 12 hours of first noticing symptoms. Sadly, it is not uncommon that inexperienced carers don't notice the first symptoms and don't consult until they see the discolouration on the eye surface of an ulcer. Delayed start to treatment will almost invariably lead to a much longer recovery time. (2) Keep the patient out of strong light - with me this means crate rest, with the crate covered by a blanket and times set for interacting with the patient in a room with very dim lighting. Toileting is confined to shady areas outside, on leash, to avoid the patient bolting happily into the sunlight. (Years ago, keeping the patient out of the light was quite often achieved by the vet suturing the third eyelid into place to keep the cornea dark. I still recall the days when it was quite common for a clothes button to be sutured to the outer eyelid to hold the inner sutures in place. Usually the stitches to close the eye were removed after 21 days.) (3) The medication schedule is rigidly adhered to - if the vet suggests every four hours for meds, then the alarm gets set and that is continued through the night as well as during the day. I also add neutral moisteners to the eye surface (like Genteal gel or similar human artificial tears) in between medication applications.Adding those extra protective tears has a soothing effect I have found. It is a very intensive regime for one person, but it works. Pain killers and a cone should be used if the patient is worrying at/rubbing the eye. Normally the above regime will clear the ulcer without any residual scarring. The time it takes depends on both the initial depth/severity of the injury and how soon the problem was noticed and treatment started.If you have an actual penetrated ulcer, not just a surface scratch, three weeks would not be unusual BUT you should (or the vet should) be able to see improvement during that time. Surface scratches should heald in a few days. Basically, to heal there needs to be a good blood supply to the cornea. That is the reason for darkness and for all the antibiotics etc to clear any infection which can hinder the blood supply. A treatment of topically applying a serum made from the patient's own blood has become popular with pug owners overseas and has been used here equally successfully - it has had excellent results with even very deep ulcers which would otherwise have required eye removal. I personally dislike grid keratotomy as a treatment. To me it should only be used if the injury is long neglected and permanent scar tissue has formed, creating a barrier around the ulcer that hinders the blood supply to the ulcer. But it seems fashionable these days to scrape away at the eye surface in the hope of triggering healing. I would only allow a veterinary eye specialist to perform that surgery if it was me. The third eyelid closure surgery can be competently performed by nearly all vets, though. Best of luck! What medications are you currently using, and how often?

Thanks for that article, TF. It seems well researched and gives what seems to me to be a balanced view of this tragedy. I was impressed with the conclusions that the dog trainer gave to the coroner, especially the "perfect storm" of stress factors and redirected drive that led to the owner's death. I also agree with LG's comments, well put/

You need to be alert for canine dementia at this stage. I have had blind and deaf dogs and they function quite well with just their noses, however I usually have had another dog at the time that has chosen to be their shepherd dog LOL. As long as he is not in any major discomfort from his arthritis (maybe try him on Rose Hip Vital for dogs if he is) there is no need to say goodbye just yet.

Have you tried the Sasha's Blend chews?

There are plenty of purpose designed dog glucosamine products on the market to choose from. Also you might want to look at Rose Hip Vital which is available in a dog preparation.

Congratulations! Are they both desexed? If not you may have posturing although outright fights are unlikely with cavaliers. So exciting! We expect pictures of both! The very best tip I can can give is for you ro be relaxed with them both, but be alert and carefully watch their body language. For the first week or so, just make sure that each little fellow has his own separate safe space. In the same room is good so they can see and smell each other.

You can build a doggy doo composting worm farm easily. Just use the standard composting worms that you buy. Just remember that after worming your dog you should dispose of the dropping elsewhere for two weeks, as the intestinal wormers cam kill your composting worms too. You get lovely composted juice that you can dilute and fertilise your garden with! (Not veges or fruit though). Some hints here: good luck!

I would agree to having another parvo test. Puppy did not have parvo symptoms, although he is still susceptible - please do not let him touch the ground outside your home or lick other dogs until his vaccinations are completed. If the breeder did not give you a proper diet sheet for him, the change of diet from what he was eating could have upset this stomach. Please do some research on feeding of baby puppies. He is too young to have left the nest, i recommend that you also research rearing baby puppies.

@knnDon't panic - unless she is a chihuahua sized breed it is unlikely to be a problem. To teach her to chew thoroughly try feeding her a frozen raw wing.

Hmmm. honestly I would be showing that video to your vet. Usually fly-catching involves tossing the head around a lot more and I don't think I have ever seen so much tongue with a fly-catching fit - of course if he is a senior with no teeth left, that might explain the tongue? Possibly it is OCD behaviour, but combined with the backyard running ang yelping it might also be a neurological problem or possibly a sore neck? Could you also get some video of the running and yelping while looking up?