Michelleva

Bonnie is looking gorgeous Michelle glad to see she's going well

Thanks Leah.. She has come a long way, but still suffers from anxiety at times. I suspect she always will. I completely ignore her when she's being anxious because I don't want to encourage that behaviour, and when she's calm and happy she can have as many pets as she wants. She's a total snuggle bum and lives to be adored.

I can even let her off lead and she doesn't take off, which took a while. She took off on my hubby once, so he doesn't trust her, he keeps her on lead all the time. But she loves me the most and is never very far away.

Bonnie has the wettest nose I've ever seen on a dog. She sniffs everything, just in case someone drops a crumb. And so often she has bits of fluff or whatever stuck to her nose. She always gives us a good laugh.

What a beautiful pair and such gorgeous coats! We have two living next door to us - they are very 'vocal' when we are in our garden :laugh:

Ummmm yes, mine are very "talkative" too.. :laugh: Someone once told me you can train it out of them.. The one who starts the trouble is Georgia... we call Bonnie, the 2IC (second in charge), she just does what her sis does. On her own, she's as quiet as a mouse.

Such a pretty pair of girls. Gorgrous coats :)

Thank you, Bonnie's coat was awful when she arrived from having a crappy diet, probably. But with good food and lots of healthy oils its looking fantastic. She has much less coat than Georgia, and for that I'm grateful. :laugh:

And may I just say what a fantastic bias!!!

How totally beautiful both girls look.

Their coats are fabulous. I suspect a human is holding a treat ready for them?

Wow!!!

They were actually staring at my piece of orange... these two always act like they've never been fed... LOL

This is the best photo we've ever got of them together and my 9yo took it on my old mobile.

My girls are so gorgeous.... I know, I know, I'm biased.

The sable is Bonnie, she's a rescue from a puppy farm, and the tri is Georgia, she came from a registered breeder.

nawww congrats on your FF's.

I do Dane rescue and FF'd a Lab x lol

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

It seems I'm in good company.

Thanks for your input Hankdog, I definitely agree, its an area we need to keep helping her in. Who knows, maybe down the track something will happen to our dear little Georgia, how on earth would Bonnie cope with that. Its food for thought, I have been doing it already. Like taking her to a cafe on her own, or to the pet supplies shop etc.

Ha ha, Hankdog, I like that one! :laugh:

I think foster failing comes with the job. You never know who is going to take your heart or need you and no-one else. I don't think any carer plans it but the risk is significantly high!

Congratulations Destiny and Bonnie!

LOL ain't that the truth!!

I've loved the Destiny and Bonnie stories. So few foster caring stories on DOL anymore.

I hope thats not true, if it is, thats very sad. I know there are a lot of loving foster carers out there, maybe they just don't come here.

lucky animals!

Agreed!!!

The point I would like to make is you are a CARER.

Your method is permanently having the animals and doing the caring.

Considering they are both rescues, then you are fabulous to have stepped up and given them a chance.

Thank you I love them both so much, plus my others. They all give me so much joy, on a daily basis.

I always had an idea in my head that I would love to be able to foster a few dogs and cats and help them get new homes and new beginnings.

A few years ago I did foster a few kittens, which was fun and although I loved them all, and was sad to see them go, I was also a bit relieved.

Fast forward about 18 months ago, I was out walking my dog early in the morning, when I stumbled across a cat sitting hunched up on the nature strip, looking very uncomfortable. I knocked on the doors in the street and no one answered, it was 7am though. So I knew I couldn't just leave this cat there in pain, to die. She let me pick her up and bring her home, I knew she was in a bad way because she cried in pain all the way home. And I'd already established that she couldn't put any weight on her back legs.

I rushed her to my vet, who shipped her straight off to the pound. I was heart-broken. This little cat trusted me, and I effectively dumped her in the pound, where her fate was doomed. I decided at that point to call the pound and tell them, I was the one who found her and I wanted to be kept in the loop. I just didn't want her PTS, if she was able to live. I learnt that she'd been hit by a car and had a broken pelvis. I ended up adopting her from the pound, with the idea of rehabilitating her and rehoming her. Since I already had enough cats, and honestly didn't need another. She came here with a chip on her shoulder and a bad attitude. She would attack anyone that came close enough.

I had a feeling from the time I found her, that I was meant to find her, so I called her Destiny. The stars were lined up or something like that. Her recovery was long and slow and over time, she came to trust us, even love us. She was advertised for a long time, and once even got rehomed, only to be returned 24 hours later. A few more months passed and we had another enquiry, and I just couldn't put her or I through it, so I simply said, she's been adopted. I just didn't tell her, it was me.

Then back in December I received a call, asking if I'd be interested in fostering a sheltie who'd been rescued from a puppy farm. I'd never fostered a dog before, let alone one from a puppy farm. I didn't really know what I was in for, but I took a deep breath and dived in. Poor little Bonnie arrived, totally shut down and terrified of everything around her. She improved really quickly though and she was advertised for a new home. That home didn't work out and she was returned 10 days later. When she came back, she was so much worse than when she left. So we were not quite back to the beginning, but she was scarred from her experience. We have our own sheltie, and the two girls have a great bond. Bonnie has suffered with anxiety the whole time we've had her, but she's much better now.

We have decided that rather than keep fostering, we are going to give Bonnie a forever home. She loves us, and trusts us and she needs stability. I was really worried if we rehomed her again, she'll just keep coming back and get worse each time. I couldn't do that to her.

So in summary, I think I'm a great owner, but maybe not meant to be a foster carer. And thats ok, I applaud all of you who do it.

If you got all the way through my essay, thanks.

So, that's my long winded way of saying, you had that bond with Bonnie from the start so I do believe she really was yours from the start :)

Thats very true, a big part of it is that she glued herself to my side from the second she got here. And when a little furry who is so terrified of the world, can reach out a paw and trust you in an instant, that does something to your heart.

If her first home would have worked out, I know I would be ok with it too. But over time, our bond has just grown and grown.

I've been thinking of taking her to dog obedience. Not really for the obedience aspect, she's very obedient, more for the socialisation side. But I worry about how she'll cope being on her own without Georgia. Maybe its good to push her out of her comfort zone, I'm just not sure which way to go.

A fantastic ending to the foster story and a fantastic beginning to the furever home story.

Plus, we get to say "We told you so!"

Oh and if I put my hand up for fostering again, it will come with divorce papers...

Having said that Bonnie has come to trust my hubby completely. She will sit at his feet with her goofy grin on, and just beg for a pat from him. For the first few months she wouldn't go near him. He is equally smitten with her. But Bonnie is very much my dog and Georgia is still very much his girl. So we got ourselves his and hers shelties.. :laugh:

Thank you DDD.... :D

Hi Melissa,

Sorry I missed your post, I haven't been here for ages.

Bonnie is still here and isn't going anywhere. We have adopted her. Part of it was that she is utterly devoted to me, and I her, the other part is she doesn't cope with change very well and we were scared if we let her get adopted, she would just keep coming back.

She still suffers anxiety and does stress out when people she doesn't know come over. But she's a million times better than the day she arrived. I know she will continue to improve and thrive, but I suspect she will always have a level of anxiety and thats ok. She feels safe, and thats the main thing.

Yesterday I came to realise just how much she depends on Georgia. It was a lovely day and there's a nice lake close to my sons school, so I decided to take Bonnie with me, so she could explore and then take her to school for some extra socialisation. She was very nervous, just being in the car without Georgia. And she was very stressy the whole time we were there, but she still approached new people for a pat. Last weekend we took both of them for a meet and greet at a fund raising BBQ which was held by the rescue who we fostered her through. She was happy and outgoing, when she had her best mate by her side. The difference was huge. Georgia is very confident, to the point of being over-confident and that is obviously helping Bonnie to cope better in situations where she's not completely at ease.

So yes, Bonnie has her happy ending, just as she deserves. She's a beautiful little girl, inside and out.

There are some natural deterrents as well. Garlic is one. There's a lemon based spray that can be used on bedding etc. Check with Steve (DOL Member) as she knows a fair bit in the natural range (knows a fair bit about lots, in point of actual fact, lol ).

The natural side of things won't likely to be effective on its own if there is a big flea problem, but it can help in maintenance and if the flea population is not huge, may be all you need rather than needing to use the chemical based flea treatments, especially as your dog is sensitive.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if there was anything natural I could use. I'll send Steve a message and see what she recommends.

I've got sentinal spectrum here for both of them, I've used that on Georgia before with no problems. But it doesn't kill live fleas, hence my question. I was just thinking I should pick up a flea comb and just give them both a thorough wash and them comb them through. Hopefully if they don't have many I can get rid of the live ones that way. But if I find that they are really infested, I'll need another product that kills live ones. My girl has the biggest coat ever, so combing all the way through is going to be a big job.

So thats my plan for today, plus washing all the bedding, cleaning, vacuuming etc. I guess once I know how bad it is, I'll go from there.

I'm treating Bonnie, the foster, the same way as my sensitive dog, because I just don't know if she is sensitive to it or not, so its safer to assume she is.

Permoxin :) (NOT if you have cats!!!)

That doesn't work here, I have way too many cats. LOL

I've been madly googling and pretty much going around in circles.

We have a sheltie who we've had since a pup. She's been tested and is sensitive to ivermectin. We also have a foster sheltie who we don't know how sensitive she is to it. So I am going to treat her the same way as our girl.

Last night I found a live flea on the foster dog, and alot of flea dirt on ours.

I've used sentinel spectrum and had no problems with it. I got some to treat them both, but it says it doesn't kill live fleas.

Does anyone know any products that are safe to use, that will kill any live fleas on them. Tomorrow I'll be in a cleaning frenzy washing dogs, beds, blankets etc.

Thanks in advance.

Thats beautiful, I love a happy ending.

As a sideline to this conversation, it also may be useful to know that sometimes white flakes can be a build up from shampoos, conditioners and shiny coat sprays that contain silicone as well as not rinsing your dog properly after a wash.

I actually just gave Bonnie a bath yesterday with Aloveen shampoo and made sure she was thoroughly rinsed and 90% of the flakes are gone. I'm still going to get some calendula tea, I've done a lot of reading up on it, and its useful for lots of things, as well as the dogs.

well it's not the leads fault, it didn't ask to be put on an aggressive dog did it? Nor is it the dogs fault. Blame the human who used the incorrect tool.

EXACTLY!

One form of mites, Cheyetiella, looks like dandruff,and dogs from large breeding establishments are a prime target for them - these are easy to see with a magnifying glass,normally infect the area you have described and will jump onto humans too and cause skin issues.Take a magnifying glass and have a good look to eliminate this as the cause first though if the dog isnt itchy its a fair chance its not this but If this is the problem come back as there are lots of natural alternatives to treat it and get rid of it other than strong chemicals.Thyroid disorders and food allergies, may cause this as well as more serious things such as diabetes and cushings.You really do need a vet diagnosis then you know what you are working with and how to treat it. Omega fatty acids are great but sometimes the problem is that the dog cant make the enzymes needed to use these properly and nothing ,not ever, nothing will work indefinitely as a stand alone supplement if you don't have the things in the diet the dog needs to assimilate and produce enzymes. Fatty acids need to be balanced ratios as they need each other and they need vitamins and minerals to work the way they need to.So take a really long look at what you are feeding too.If she has been neglected with her diet for the first part of her life some processes may have shut down and be preventing her from being able to assimilate certain nutrients too.

So Im advising you to get a vet check and a diagnosis first and / or send her fur away for a check. Then look at what you can see happening with her skin holistically as a symptom not the cause and that's where we can help.

• While you're waiting to find out the cause -and if you eliminate the mites. Bathe your dog only when necessary, since bathing dries out the skin and removes necessary body oils. Most dogs that receive routine brushing and grooming need baths only if they get something on their coats that brushing or wiping can't remove.Much as Id like to sell you bucket fulls of our shampoo this is a much better way of treating it unless the dog is really dirty. Skip the shampoo and go right to rinsing with the Calendula tea when ever you can.
• Or - You can massage coconut oil into the skin and let it sit for about an 2 hours. Shampoo normally then use the Calendula tea. You can also look for a shampoo that already contains coconut oil. Our vital skin shampoo and leave in conditioner has coconut oil [and Calendula oil]
• if its mites - you'll love what works the quickest for that.

Thanks for the advice Steve I will get a magnifying glass and have a closer look. I'm doubtful that its mites though.

Thanks for the clarifications.

If it were me, I'd use the Calendula Tea rinse until it clears.

If it returns, it means the "cause" for the dry skin still persists and needs to be looked into further.

Consider things such as too frequent bathing/washes (with shampoo); too much swimming.

Are these things possible?

She's only been washed and groomed once by the rescue group prior to me getting her and she's been to the beach once with me, so thats not the issue. I will get some of the tea anyway, as I think it will be great for my daughter as well who has problems with nasea.

I'm not Steve and she will, I'm sure, be able to add more in terms of advice and info, but if it were me I would use the Calendula Tea to wash your dog in. Is there an oiliness to the feel of the skin (usually identified by the residue on your fingers after a good bout of handling)?

Could be yeast.

Could still go back to diet.

I'm assuming the bald patches grown back?

The hair has all grown back and its not oily at all. If you rub the skin, she has flaky white bits that go through the coat, it really looks like dandruff.

I understand the flaky white bits you talk about. I refer to it as "scurf". My dog will have this from time to time. His is yeast based. It tends to show when his system is running 'low' (i.e. it is trying to deal with something else) and this is when the yeast numbers grow in excess. Is it the coat you're feeling for oiliness, or the skin? Sorry, don't mean to be harping/doubting your answer …. just uncertain that I'm being clear.

Glad the bald patches have grown back. If the coat was poor and/or the bald patches were still evident in one shape or form, I'd be pondering a thyroid issue. Not totally ruled out but far less likely if there's no other issues.

I just had a good look at her coat and the dry skin starts at about half way down her back and gets worse towards the tail. She's not itchy at all. If I rub my hands through the coat or brush it, all the flaky skin loosens. She's an ex puppy farm dog, so I imagine her diet was pretty ordinary for the first 3 -4 years of her life. I've felt both the hair and the skin and neither feel oily to me.