Kazm

Hi there. I know you mentioned a mid/large size dog but reading further everything you want comes in a smaller form of a mini schnauzer. Plus they are very adaptable and can be quite ok on there own during work/ school hours. I have 2 little girls (previously had a male) and they are just the most awesome dog. Highly intelligent, love their family, make brilliant guard dogs without being aggressive, can be energetic but if you're having a lazy day they are happy with that also, extremely affectionate and best of all non shedding. Pretty darn good package. Good luck with your decision

Thanks Jumabaar. Nice to know there are options out there. I really do worry about my Molly. (Zena's daughter) At 5 years of age she is still a little live wire and loves to play and wrestle but I guess that's what we are here for. The added bonus though which could help is that we often dogsit her brothers and sisters and also her own offspring. She has had 2 litters but is now desexed. I offer dog boarding and schnauzer grooming to all my puppy owners. We don't like the thought of them going to boarding kennels. I am actually kept quite busy through the year with them all. All my puppy owners are such beautiful people and have been to visit my Zena and have been very supportive. Over the years we have become close friends with a few and one in particular brings her schnauzers here every other week. It's awesome for all concerned. And yes, Zena is definitely hogging the bed and lounge. Loves sitting and being with us and her comfort is first priority. Tdierikx - I am sorry to hear Shadow was so young. I hate the whole cancer thing as it seems to take too many of our young four leggeds. I have read so much in the past few weeks and it just upsets me to know that horrible stuff like this is so common.

Thanks. Hope all starts going your way soon Harley. A fur friend greeting when you arrive home is the greatest. Can't live without our four legged friends. Life seems so dull with just humans. I agree tdierikx. Big surgery and chemo is not for the dogs. We all know hermangiosarcoma can't be beaten. We just want Zena to be comfortable, happy and know she is loved. She has had a really great day today. Went for a car ride, hung with us in the garden and finished up with a small BBQ. She just hasn't eaten much but did enjoy a bowl of custard. Woops I am sorry to hear about your rotti. Sounds nasty. How old was she? Thanks also for the hugs. I have let Zena know all about the nice comments from you all. She is a dog who has always loved people. All people. She is my little social butterfly and we are going to miss her so much. But she is still doing ok mostly so hopefully we still have a bit more time.

Yes it doesn't make any diff. Ticks can live in short grass and walking in the long grass she could get them. My opinion is the tablet forms of treatment are better than the liquid.

Yes I do realise tick season seems like it is getting to be just about all year round. I am super vigilant. My little girls are very much lap dogs and we are always feeling and checking plus being schnauzers I keep them trimmed ( their bodies at least, gotta have the proper schnauzer trim) . So their coats are fairly short which makes checking easier. My neighbours dog, a Westie, got done pretty badly a few years back. He survived but I'm not going to let it happen to mine if I can help it.

I swear by comfortis for my 2 mini schnauzers. But I believe in giving treatment when only necessary. I don't like chemicals etc going into a bloodstream unnecessarily. Who really knows what it can do to a dog. If my girls start scratching I pop them a pill and they stop very quickly. For ticks I use Nexgard and i only give this to them during tick season. We are on 2 acres and we also go bush camping a lot. I do not trust those little tick buggers.

11 days ago isn't long. Wow. How do you cope? I guess having your other foster dogs would have helped. And I think polly probably would have enjoyed them too. Once again so sorry about your loss. Two going so close together would be very hurtful.

I agree. It is a very insidious disease Very sorry to hear. No matter what the pet we love them all. Big and small. My kids had guinea pigs years ago and I was too attached to those lovely critters and along with the kids very upset when they passed.

How long ago did your girl leave? And what was her name? I don't know much about greyhounds

Thanks. I hope they can too. Molly has never spent any time away from her mum and they do have an extra special bond. They clean each other's eyes and ears every day, not so much now that Zena's sick but still occasionally. And on Zena's off days Molly seems to sense things and spends the day with her. They have always been close. Zena has always been such a softie and let Molly get away with everything. She has been a great mum and I do worry how Molly will react when Zena goes. She has so much spunk I just hope she doesn't change. Do you have any experiences with a dog losing its best fur friend?

Chicken necks and wings for my girls. I do chop them into bite size pieces though to prevent swallowing whole . I do know of a pup who swallowed one neck whole and ended up in surgery so please chop them people

So sorry to hear of your losses. It seems to me this nastiness happens to our four legged furry friends way to often. Zena doesn't seem to be in any pain or uncomfortable at the moment but we are watching her so closely. We will not let her suffer in anyway. We are just so amazed at how strong she seems to be. We have decided to make that decision when she stops eating, drinking and can't get up any longer. At present we can still even go for short walks. She loves these and we figure if she can get out and about and sniff the sniffs of the world it's a good day. I have also just figured out that she likes to eat what we have just eaten for dinner each night. She's a cheeky girl. Not eating a lot but enough to keep the sparkle happening in her eyes. We lost a male schnauzer to lymphoma 9 years ago and honestly didn't think we'd be down this track of cancer again. It is so difficult to understand when you know you have looked after them. Fresh food and pampered. I just worry about our little Molly ( Zena's daughter) now. Hopefully she will grow to be an old lady. She's only 5 now and the second Special delight of our lives.

My 9 year old mini schnauzer Zena has been diagnosed with possible hermangiosarcoma. I say possible because without operating I guess nobody can tell for certain or at least if it is malignant or benign.She has a very distended belly and we can feel the tumour in her spleen. She was just not acting her usual self so off to the vets we went. He recommended an ultrasound which showed the mass in her spleen with nodules on her liver and lymph nodes affected too. The specialist does not recommend surgery and told us to take her home, love her and feed her what she wants. He also said we'd have her for barely a month. I guess due to the possibility of her spleen rupturing. It has now been almost 5 weeks and she is still doing ok. Her appetite is not great and I have to hand feed her. The food has to be something really nice and different every day. Sometimes she eats almost willingly other times she just eats enough to keep me feeling happy. She drinks water fine and follows me around still although she seems weaker this last week. Asks to be put on the lounge instead of jumping up by herself. She seems happy just very tired. She still grins at us and wags her tail. Most visitors say if it wasn't for her belly they wouldn't know there was anything wrong. My question is has anyone else dealt with this nasty cancer and left untreated ( she is on 20mg tramadol morning and night) how long has your fur friend lasted. I know my little girl is stubborn but on her really good days I do wonder if they have made a mistake and could it all just be benign.