Queen Maeby

*Going to the shops to buy chocolate*

Here is a tip that my vet gave me, which I thought was quite good...

If you live in a low-risk heartworm area near the beach, and you choose not to treat for heartworm, take your dog for a walk on the beach first thing in the morning, before heaps of other people and their dogs walk there, after the tide has gone out and washed the beach clean. Make sure you walk your dog along the shore line and don't go anywhere near the dunes where they can catch some fox-related disease (I can't remember what it's called). And stay away from the beach at high peak tourist times like Christmas. That's when all the tourist dogs come to visit.

I thought heart worm was transmitted via mosquitos?

Oh is it? I don't know why my vet said that then. Sorry :laugh:

Maybe I'm just being a control freak and I'm still feeling guilty about Grover's death...

I guess you just have to enjoy them while you have them.

Wanting to learn how to treat your dogs so they live a happy and healthy life is not, in my opinion, being a control freak. Having a mini break down because someone offers your dog a treat at the dog park (something I strongly disapprove of BTW LOL) would be. :laugh:

You are still grieving for Grover, but you could perhaps be a little kinder to yourself and stop beating yourself up about it :).

Slowly and surely, you will get there

Agree. There is nothing wrong with having these thoughts. It is totally normal.

You should see the hysterics I have if I see the dogs eating something in a park because I lost a dog to bait. It wasn't even in a park. Like your experience with Grover I was there when my dog died and it wasn't pleasant. Not that any of the deaths have been. Even my 20yo cat passing in her sleep was horrible.

One of the local postmen gives the dogs Good-o. Not something I would buy and not something Amber is supposed to eat but for some reason the dogs frigging love getting those Good-os. I give them homemade gourmet biscuits. They are also really naughty when they see the postman, they even pull on the leads But they love it and the postman loves it, so I relax my standards for this interaction. :laugh:

Thank you for sharing that. I feel so much better :)

My dad used to give Grover Good-o's and it drove me nuts!

Maybe I'm just being a control freak and I'm still feeling guilty about Grover's death...

I guess you just have to enjoy them while you have them.

Wanting to learn how to treat your dogs so they live a happy and healthy life is not, in my opinion, being a control freak. Having a mini break down because someone offers your dog a treat at the dog park (something I strongly disapprove of BTW LOL) would be. :laugh:

You are still grieving for Grover, but you could perhaps be a little kinder to yourself and stop beating yourself up about it :).

Slowly and surely, you will get there

Thanks, that's so nice of you :)

I don't allow people to give my dogs treats. I am pretty neurotic about that :laugh:

My first 2 border collies mainly ate supercoat & natures gift. They were always vaccinated. They both got to 15. My first cat only ate Whiskers cat food and passed away at 20!

I feel like the more I have fussed the more stuff has gone wrong!

I agree - our family dog was never fussed over and lived on Go Cat biscuits her whole life (didn't like dog biscuits) and lived to 18!

I know people who spend so much time and money taking their dogs to holistic people, specialists, only the finest raw diets etc and these dogs seem to have the most health issues - I wonder if it's just that they aren't picked up in the dogs where care is more 'relaxed'?

I think you have to find the balance between being neurotic and spending your whole life freaking out about things that could happen, and preparing specialised meals for your dog and wrapping them in cotton wool - or you can relax and just make the most of the time you have with your dog and face the fact that shit happens

Oh thank you for saying that! I p*ssed myself laughing when I realised how neurotic I'm being. I'm just such a perfectionist... I even do crazy things like mop the floor twice.

I feel so much more relaxed now :laugh:

Maybe I'm just being a control freak and I'm still feeling guilty about Grover's death...

I guess you just have to enjoy them while you have them.

Here is a tip that my vet gave me, which I thought was quite good...

If you live in a low-risk heartworm area near the beach, and you choose not to treat for heartworm, take your dog for a walk on the beach first thing in the morning, before heaps of other people and their dogs walk there, after the tide has gone out and washed the beach clean. Make sure you walk your dog along the shore line and don't go anywhere near the dunes where they can catch some fox-related disease (I can't remember what it's called). And stay away from the beach at high peak tourist times like Christmas. That's when all the tourist dogs come to visit.

I changed the title of this thread because I was worried that it sounded too preachy, like I was expecting other people to do the same as me. I would like to know what I can do to give my future Pugs the best chance at a long and healthy life. In hindsight, there are things that I would have done differently with Grover and I will be doing these things with my future Pugs.

Great question!

Not sure i can really add any value, and don't think its one you'll get a definite answer on, but for what its worth, I'm doing my best to stick to an all natural diet with unprocessed foods, and adding supplements when needed.

Have read in a lot of forums the same advice you got on the Pug forums.

Keep dogs lean, keep food natural, keep them fit and happy.

When it comes to medication/vaccines, I'm also starting to ask the vet is it really necessary to get him on medications straight away after visiting for a whatever issue, and you might be surprised how many times they may say using medication will accelerate healing, but there's no issue with letting it sort itself out - NOT ADVICE FROM ME, speak to your vet :)

I learned with my kids, that sometimes you don't need to rush straight for antibiotics, and knock on wood, since i have taken that approach, they seem to have developed stronger immune systems.

I can see that there's a big difference between my current vet and how she does things compared to previous vets. She is more likely to let things work themselves out/heal on their own while previous vets prescribed cortisone for every single thing.

I wouldn't say my vet has a holistic approach but she is definitely more progressive thinking and less traditional than previous vets. I'd say she has a more gentle, balanced approach, and I like it that she treats me like an equal. I think it really helps to have a good vet who's on the same page as you.

For me the 4 biggest issues are genetics, regular exercise into old age, not letting them get fat, and getting any health issues checked out properly as soon as they arise. Theoretically diet should be on that list but I have seen plenty of dogs grow old on diets I would consider pretty poor. I haven't seen many fat underexercised dogs age well though.

Yes, I agree with keeping them lean and fit. Grover got regular exercise but I fed him too much, and a lot of crappy treats when he was younger. He was overweight for half of his life. When I changed to a homemade, high protein diet he started losing weight. I will be much more rigorous with my future Pugs.

I'm definitely going to feed a homemade diet, and I will never buy dog food again. I've thought of going organic (that's what I did with Grover when he was diagnosed with cancer), but I think the most important thing is to minimize carbohydrates.

I'm going to titre test after the puppy shots.

I will definitely be reducing the amount of chemicals I was using, ie. for the last 18 months of his life, Grover was on a herbal worming treatment and when I had his faeces tested he didn't even have one egg, let alone a worm.

eta

Sorry Jules, I just saw your post :)

I guess I see it like a fun game with the goal being having my Pug live to 15+.

Come to terms with the fact that animals can be fragile and may break your heart. I've lost 2 young pets in the last couple of years and have one that is terminal. Prior to that both my dogs lived to 15yo and never went to the vets. You can take all the precautions but sometimes things happen.

I know what you mean, and that is very good advice, but I would like to know what I can do to give them the best chance. In hindsight, there are things that I would have done differently with Grover and I will be doing these things with my future Pugs.

****I changed the title of this thread because I was worried that it sounded too preachy, like I was expecting other people to do the same as me. I would like to know what I can do to give my future Pugs the best chance at a long and healthy life. In hindsight, there are things that I would have done differently with Grover and I will be doing these things with my future Pugs.****

Because of my experience with mast cell tumours, and Grover dying so young, I'm interested in finding out what I can do to give my future Pugs a long, healthy life. Ideally, I would like all my Pugs to live to at least 15.

I thought I'd post this conversation, which is from a Pug forum I belong to... What do you think about the suggestions mentioned by the second poster? Do you agree/disagree with any of them? Is there anything else you would add that you think would help keep dogs young and healthy?

Poster 1 asking a question:

I am asking this question because I have seen posts where Pugs have lived to be 17, 18 years and even older. None of my Pugs even reached fifteen. Chinto, who I got as a puppy, lived to be 12 and 1/2, and died of a brain tumor. Marris, who I rescued at four years, lived to be just a month shy of 14, and died of a fatal seizure. Darcy, Chinto's granddaughter, who I adopted at seven years, died at 11 and 1/2 of breast cancer, which spread to her lungs. Now, we have Napoleon, who we rescued at 5 years, and would like to live a long life with us.

So, what am I doing wrong? We give them tons of love, regular vet care, heart worm and flea and tick meds, take them for walks, and feed them what we believe to be premium quality food.

Poster 2's response (poster 2 is very experienced with Pug rescue):

Luck and genetics play into the equation heavily and for the most part those cannot be controlled.

What you CAN do:

1. Maintain your pug at optimum weight. I would rather see them be a little underweight than a little overweight.

2. After the puppy shots, if at all possible, stop vaccinating. Wing-N-Wave Labradors Vaccines, Infectious Diseases and the Canine Immune System

3. Feed a species appropriate diet of the highest quality possible. Minimize carbohydrates. Eliminate empty calorie, processed and flavored treats. Give age appropriate supplements.

4. Address health concerns immediately. Have an annual exam and annual bloodwork and urine done when they are under 8. At 8-12 have it done twice a year. Over twelve, ideally 3-4 times per year.

5. Keep them out of extremes of temperature.

6. Address breathing issues as young as possible, before deficits cause more or worse problems. Same goes for eyes.

7. Have regular dentals done by a good vet with good anesthesia protocol and familiarity with pugs or brachycephalic breeds.

8. Keep them out of areas where herbicides and insecticides are regularly used, especially things like RoundUp, weed & feed, etc.

9. Have a good fence that keeps them in and anything else out.

10. Touch them a lot. Not only is it good for them and for you, but it allows you to notice growths, swellings, bare spots and other problems while they are still small.

Great post OsoSwift

What I really like about the Victorian Pug community is that a Pug rarely, if ever, ends up in a shelter because breeders work so hard behind the scenes to find the Puggies a home. It's a wonderful, supportive community and I'm proud to be a part of it as a Pug owner.

Well that's my experience of it anyway :)

Online... Just tell them to type in "pyjamas for dogs + Australia".

It just means my Pugs and I won't be able to go to obedience training, but I don't mind :)

Wow, how exciting! Congratulations! :)

Awwww, that's a great photo of him in front of the fire :)

I've been meaning to find a vet on the central coast who does titre testing for a while now, and finally started ringing around tonight as our normal vet does not do them. I've just gotten off the phone to one vet clinic where the lady said they do offer them, but she was very confused about why I wanted a titre test because they normally do them to check for rabies before exporting dogs apparently. I've never heard this before as a reaction to an enquiry, people either seem to do them, or not. The previous clinic I phoned the girl had no idea what I was talking about and had to ask the vet. This lady had never heard of people getting them done to check immunity levels as an alternative to annual/triennial vaccinations before.

So I guess my questions are, a) does anyone know a vet clinic on the coast who offers titre tests who might not think I'm crazy, and b) is it more common to request it for exporting and I'm just in a DOL bubble where we talk about it differently?

There was an old thread on this but no clinics were specifically mentioned as offering them and it was a few years old.

Edited for clarity :-)

Some people use a laboratory in WA called Vetpath to have their titre testing done. You get it done through your vet who sends them the samples. My vet has no problem doing this at all.

http://www.vetpath.com.au/

I haven't used them yet but plan to use them in the future.

Good to hear she is getting better :)

I'm thinking of having a competition where I ask people on DOL to help me name my puppy... And I will pay $50 off the winner's vet bill... But I won't start it until the puppy has actually been born. What do you think? Are you allowed to have competitions like that on DOL?

eta

Actually, no, don't worry about it. I'll just think of a name myself :)

I don't think you'd need to offer a prize, DOLers love giving name suggestions :) plus it would also be an excuse for us to look at gorgeous Pug puppy photos

Okay, no worries :)

The mum will be mated again in October/November when she comes into season... So the puppy will be born December/January, and then home with me two months later. Is that right?

Oh no LG, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't have any experience with vasculitis but I just wanted to send you hugs

I'm thinking of having a competition where I ask people on DOL to help me name my puppy... And I will pay $50 off the winner's vet bill... But I won't start it until the puppy has actually been born. What do you think? Are you allowed to have competitions like that on DOL?

eta

Actually, no, don't worry about it. I'll just think of a name myself :)

I am SO overjoyed even though it's such a long way away