moosepup

Awww such gorgeous pooch eyes! Here's my Moose...

My Chi (1 yr old) and Chi X (10 yrs old) both eat raw. I feed them Dr B's BARF patties (I'm lazy I know!) and an assortment of raw meaty bones (mostly chicken necks/wings). I usually sprinkle some Vets All Natural Health Booster in their dinner too. Initially I was doing it to boost Moose's immune system while his burn was healing but I'm just doing it now cos I figure it can't hurt? They are both happy and healthy. Make nice poops too! ETA - Also give them sardines occasionally although Zoe isn't too keen on them. If I mix it in well enough she doesn't notice.

I never got a chance to train Moose to use the doggy door. I put him outside one day and a minute later he was back in so I guessed he'd figured it out for himself haha.

Crikey when I picked up my Chihuahua pup at 12 weeks old, according to his vax card he'd just been given a C8!!!! I was a bit shocked. :\

Moose has been shedding quite a bit lately so I sat him down with a slicker brush today and gave him a good groom. Managed to get rid of quite a few loose hairs but it also seemed to stir up some dandruff. I didn't notice this prior to the brushing. Is dandruff a normal part of the shedding process? I read somewhere that a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water used as a rinse can be helpful. Has anyone used this? Also, is there something I can add to his food to keep his skin healthy? At the moment he gets Dr B's BARF patties mixed with some Vets All Natural Health Booster, chicken necks and all natural treats. Thanks!

That's what I thought. Sure some of those dogs looked in good nick but they only showed about 10 of the allegedly 230 living at the property.

Oh no. Is it possible that you can take her to a different vet today who may be able to give her something to make her more comfortable until tomorrow morning? Do you think she is in pain or is having any difficulty breathing? It's so hard Ninoid I know. ETA - when you ring your normal vet does his voicemail offer an after hours emergency number?

Zoe had dry eye quite a few years ago. She had 0mm in one eye on her Schirmer test! I seem to recall she was treated with human eye drops which were actually put into her food. It cleared up eventually and she has her eyes tested at least once a year and no real problems since. She has had a few eye ulcers and a torn lens (keeps us on our toes this old gal!!) but no recurrence of the dry eye.

Having had a dog with Lymphoma who even after several months of chemo didn't make it, your story hits close to home for me and I know just how you are feeling. Molly looks so precious. *BIG BIG HUGS*

Are you sure you're able to purchase them if you aren't a vet?

Wowsers, your drawings are fantastic! I'm jealous!! I think Moose as a pup would be fairly easy to draw, ain't much to him!

Irregardless of the reactions people/pets have had, I still don't understand why it was prescribed for a tummy upset? I know Grumpy was acting out of sorts but if he wasn't reacting as if he was in severe pain, why Tramal?

Never tried Tramal on a dog but my mum took it once for what the doctors thought was Trigeminal Neuralgia (facial pain so severe its even be nicknamed "The Suicide Disease"!) and she has sworn that she will NEVER take it again. She has never been so sick. I'm surprised it was given for a tummy upset?? I would be very hesitant in giving it to anyone, especially my dog. Maybe the dosage is an important factor also?

Wowsers GG, it looks amazing!!! Sorry I haven't replied before now, I've been holed up with the flu. Lacey's wound is looking just fantastic. It looks really clean and healthy, well on its way to full healing. Gosh aren't our pups just so lucky to have us as mums??? :p I've been dying to give Moose a bath for the last 2 months, not that he's particularly stinky, I just know what he's been rolling in! I think he'll get one this weekend (much to his disgust I'm sure). He has had quite a bit of hair regrowth on his smaller bald patch but the larger area is quite slow to come back, still have my fingers crossed that it will. Might need to get him a little toupe. ;)

Moose's nose has started going a little pink... is this "winter nose"???

Moose got the "all clear" from the vet today!!! :D He still needs a little bit of TLC... some sorbolene/vit E cream or bio oil just to help keep the skin nice and soft but his wound has pretty much healed up and it's now just a case of waiting for his hair to grow back. Think I could try some rogaine??? One other thing I need to be careful about is too much UV light on the damaged skin. Hopefully this won't be an issue once his hair grows back (hopefully the majority of it will) but can be covered with some SPF so not a huge deal. Phew! So glad this is nearly over. Sending healing vibes out to GreyGirl's Lacey... hope your girl is coming along great guns. Have faith, you will get there!!

Moose was humping again within a day of his de-sexing op but it did subside in about 2 weeks. He was de-sexed nearly 2 months ago and now only humps when excited after lots of play time. Maybe once a week. Much better than the every 5 minutes pre-surgery!! Give it some more time but as others have said, sometimes surgery won't stop the humping.

I noticed Moose's breeder isn't listed. His prefix is TRENDEE. She breeds smooth and long coat chihuahuas.

Awww what a sweet old boy... and so lucky to have had 17 years with you. It's always hard to lose one of our furkids. Thinking of you.

Hey GreyGirl! That's excellent news!! So happy to hear that she won't need to endure surgery. Hasn't she been through enough?? It's amazing how quick it's healing isn't it!! Moose's is looking fantastic. Took him back to the vet yesterday and he's very happy with his progress. His AB's have finished and I just have to keep up the Dermaclens and the Silvasine and the vet thinks he should be looking almost back to normal (not including hair regrowth anyways) in about 4 weeks time. Definitely upload some photos for us! Here's Moose's burn today.... (16/07/09) And to compare it to 16 days ago it just looks amazing... (30/06/09) And here's his head for anyone who is sick of looking at his butt!

Lacey- such a gorgeous name!! :D Yes it is most definitely relative! The girls from work were saying just yesterday "Oh poor little man, that looks terrible!!" and I'm standing there going "What??? It looks awesome!!". Seriously though, I am so amazed how quickly it is healing now, the edges of the raw area are contracting more and more everyday. His hair is pretty slow to come back (on the shaved/non burnt areas) but I guess this will take some months yet. Can't wait till our kids are back intact! I think Moose secretly loves his bucket (or helmet as my dad calls it, haha). He'll happily prance around wearing it. Oh dear piper, that must have been so frightening. To be honest when his hair first started falling out I did have a few moments of panic that he'd picked up a flesh-eating bacteria. Mind you, it's my instant reaction to expect the worst and start panicking so I managed to calm myself down!! Almost relieved when it was diagnosed as a burn. I hear ya rommi. I have never used hwb's on my dogs at home before but I know I definitely won't now. Plenty of blankets and bedding for my pups! Mind you, Moose sleeps snuggled up next to me under the doona in bed so I don't think he's suffering from the cold too much.

The little scab on Moose's secondary burn area has come off today and the skin is a little pink but looking good. Large burn area is looking pretty good as well. Getting there slowly but surely! Burn today... Feeling sorry for oneself???

Looking good GreyGirl!! Moose's looks exactly the same as your girls now, all the dead tissue has come off and now he's left with the "strawberry jam" (as his vet calls it ) looking wound. I am still amazed how well (and quickly!) the Dermaclens has worked. I spoke to the vet on the phone today (after emailing him a pic) just to clear a few things up about the cream regime and he was very happy with how it's looking. He said I would be surprised with how well it starts healing up now. I will post a pic tomorrow (he's all lathered in cream atm). Let us know if your girls surgery goes ahead and how she goes. I'm hoping we can avoid this with Moose but it will be very interesting to see her progress. PS. What's your girls name??? Can't believe I hadn't asked before, sorry.

Hi brigie, It certainly is a very tough time when we need to say goodbye to one of our furrkids. I think you just need to have a really long think about it and you will know in your heart when is the right time. Remember that YOU are the one that sees him day in, day out, not his vet. We lost our two dogs, Ren and Stimpy, within a year of each other, both suffering with cancer. At the end, even though they were both still getting by we just felt that they were only hanging on for our sakes. They both went to sleep in our arms while we told them how great they were and how much joy they brought to us. Of course you will feel heartbroken for awhile but that pain will ease with the knowledge that you have done what is best for your little man. Big hugs.

Yes, definitely keep posting updates. It will be good to see how our furrkids burns progress. My understanding (and I could be wrong!!) is that the Dermaclens is sort of acidic so it softens the necrotic tissue and helps promote regeneration of new tissue, whilst the Silvasine does something similar but is also antibacterial. I have been putting the Dermaclens on in the mornings and the Silvasine in the afternoons/evenings. Hope this double-whammy of creams does the trick!