Awesome dogs / Crazy pets Thread

[Lil Foot]

 

[RCW]

The Mrs. was going through some old photos:

Ernie - the Gentle Giant. SPCA dog and guess Retriever/Great Dane cross?

150 pounds when in his prime. Ran/walked 3-4 miles per day with Mom.

Didn't have a mean bone in his body, but protective of his family when he got older.

Lived to 12.

Murray - our first Boxer.

Kind of odd personality. Likely puppy mill product, and died at 7 years old right in front of "the Dragon" (pellet stove) at home. Came from a family breeder, but we don’t think they were conscientious about their practices.

He was still a great guy and we often talk about him. Made us laugh every day, until a Saturday morning he didn’t…

 

[Trimley]

The past ten days...has been growingly sad, as we've watched our 9 year old females love for her meals switch off. At first we thought she was being stubborn because of the new pup. We made an appointment for her with the Doc. After bloodwork and a full check-up, it was determined she had an upset stomach. We were given medicine for nausea and an antibiotic. Days past, and her body mass became less and less. Each night we go to sleep, to wake in hopes she feels better. I've tried to get her to eat everything imaginable, yet she refuses. We are 13 days since it all started...shes lost so much weight, she's now skin and bones. It pains me to make her suffer any longer.

 

[Lil Foot]

Sorry to hear that.... been through it many times.
I wish they stayed around longer.

 

[Trimley]

The older I get, the harder it becomes.

 

[DustyRusty]

The past ten days...has been growingly sad, as we've watched our 9 year old females love for her meals switch off. At first we thought she was being stubborn because of the new pup. We made an appointment for her with the Doc. After bloodwork and a full check-up, it was determined she had an upset stomach. We were given medicine for nausea and an antibiotic. Days past, and her body mass became less and less. Each night we go to sleep, to wake in hopes she feels better. I've tried to get her to eat everything imaginable, yet she refuses. We are 13 days since it all started...shes lost so much weight, she's now skin and bones. It pains me to make her suffer any longer.

What are you feeding? If it is a Purina product get her off of it immediately. I suggest that you consider some fresh frozen food in limited amounts to get her eating again. If you need more information, please send me a PM with your telephone number and I will fill you in with what is presently going on in the pet food feeding problems with Purina products.

 

[sheepfarmer]

The past ten days...has been growingly sad, as we've watched our 9 year old females love for her meals switch off. At first we thought she was being stubborn because of the new pup. We made an appointment for her with the Doc. After bloodwork and a full check-up, it was determined she had an upset stomach. We were given medicine for nausea and an antibiotic. Days past, and her body mass became less and less. Each night we go to sleep, to wake in hopes she feels better. I've tried to get her to eat everything imaginable, yet she refuses. We are 13 days since it all started...shes lost so much weight, she's now skin and bones. It pains me to make her suffer any longer.

I have no right to be critical, but it sounds like your vet has missed something, and I am sorry if this thought only adds to your grief. Is there a vet teaching hospital or a specialty clinic nearby that you could discuss with your vet that she be referred to if he/she is stumped? Or if not that you could just take her to? If she is not eating she could be turned around by something as simple as being rehydrated until a more concrete diagnosis can be obtained.

 

[sheepfarmer]

What are you feeding? If it is a Purina product get her off of it immediately. I suggest that you consider some fresh frozen food in limited amounts to get her eating again. If you need more information, please send me a PM with your telephone number and I will fill you in with what is presently going on in the pet food feeding problems with Purina products.

Trimley, while I have not used either the fresh frozen foods or Purina, there is something to be said to feeding people food when needed. I have been through 3 months of loose stools in an old dog, and none of the digestive remedies provided by my vet worked for any length of time. Same with neighbor. (Can you imagine living with a Great Dane with diarrhea?) She finally switched to a diet heavy in rice, meat and vegetables she cooked herself, and he is like a puppy again. The loose stools in my dog are much better if I include rice, banana, a little hamburger in her food.

There is very little or no quality control in pet food. One bad can or bag could include a toxin, and damage kidney or gut or? In some cases if that has happened all one can do is provide supportive care until the damage is healed. I have been feeding royal Canin, and even at that you can see and smell the difference from one can to the next.

 

[DustyRusty]

Trimley, while I have not used either the fresh frozen foods or Purina, there is something to be said to feeding people food when needed. I have been through 3 months of loose stools in an old dog, and none of the digestive remedies provided by my vet worked for any length of time. Same with neighbor. (Can you imagine living with a Great Dane with diarrhea?) She finally switched to a diet heavy in rice, meat and vegetables she cooked herself, and he is like a puppy again. The loose stools in my dog are much better if I include rice, banana, a little hamburger in her food.

There is very little or no quality control in pet food. One bad can or bag could include a toxin, and damage kidney or gut or? In some cases if that has happened all one can do is provide supportive care until the damage is healed. I have been feeding royal Canin, and even at that you can see and smell the difference from one can to the next.

I have to make an exception to you about there being "little or no quality control in pet food" since I believe that you are painting the entire industry with a very wide brush that isn't warranted. I know for a fact that many pet food companies go to great lengths to make sure that the products that they sell to the public are uniform and nutritious. Other companies are more interested in profits and gaining market share and put more money into advertising than they do in the product in the bag. I will not get into naming the companies that are good or bad. I agree with you that even a home-cooked product can and will bring a dog back from the brink of death under certain conditions. Most people have no idea about the large corporate entities that own the various brands of food that are presently being espoused by some veterinarians today. It has been said in certain circles of the pet industry that many veterinary practices are being given incentives to promote certain brands. One of the largest companies in pet food manufacturing has approximately 50 brands and also owns more than 1000 veterinary clinics.

 

[sheepfarmer]

I have to make an exception to you about there being "little or no quality control in pet food" since I believe that you are painting the entire industry with a very wide brush that isn't warranted. I know for a fact that many pet food companies go to great lengths to make sure that the products that they sell to the public are uniform and nutritious. Other companies are more interested in profits and gaining market share and put more money into advertising than they do in the product in the bag. I will not get into naming the companies that are good or bad. I agree with you that even a home-cooked product can and will bring a dog back from the brink of death under certain conditions. Most people have no idea about the large corporate entities that own the various brands of food that are presently being espoused by some veterinarians today. It has been said in certain circles of the pet industry that many veterinary practices are being given incentives to promote certain brands. One of the largest companies in pet food manufacturing has approximately 50 brands and also owns more than 1000 veterinary clinics.

I don't actually disagree with what you say, although there are probably only a relatively small number that self regulate effectively. Furthermore, there is no doubt that companies provide incentives to vets for selling their brands. E.g. Hills provided food at reduced cost to the vet students to sell to support educational activities. Most vets sell only one brand of prescription diet. Guess which one.
It is getting too late at night to write coherently about the ways that vet practices are being bought up by companies, and being shaped to practice what I call assembly line medicine. This mimics what has happened to human medicine, although in the latter the insurance industry has molded that change. I can rant about that later.

 

[DustyRusty]

My new sidekick waiting for me to go to bed. Wife wanted me to keep him up so he wouldn't wake her at 3:30 in the morning. The breeder got up at 3:30 AM to get ready for work, and he would feed the pups and then go off to work. His wife would then feed them again as she left for work at 8 AM, and he hasn't adjusted to our schedule yet. Wife gets up at 8 to be at work by 10. I get up after she goes to work because I stay awake later at night.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Well I thought I lost Huey this morning, but as it turned out he broke in (he has been known to be an escape artist breaking out).

So I went to our place up North for meetings with state forester and usda / nrcs peeps on Friday. This morning I get up at zero dark thirty to hump it home. I let Huey out of the barn to handle his business and then I go about packing the FJ…I leave the rear swing out door open and continue to pack my gear…comes time to close door and leave and I can’t find the dog anywhere…it’s dark, very heavy fog…so I start calling and nothing…I am shining my head lamp around and nothin’…now I am wondering which township to start the search in…just as I happen to see I left a piece of gear out, open the rear door back up and cabin light comes on and look who is sitting in the drivers seat…that little dude scaled the gear and slipped over it the top of it to be patiently up front ready to go. So there he was. He’s a funny little guy.

 

[The Evil Twin]

All the while, he is wondering "when human take me for ride?"

 

[RCW]

@rc51stierhoff - must have been a real sinking feeling and he was there all the while!! Glad it turned out fine!

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

All the while, he is wondering "when human take me for ride?"

Well the top of my gear is probably 5’ or maybe a little more in terms of height from the ground…I can’t believe he didn’t knock anything out as he climbed through the pile of gear.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Well the top of my gear is probably 5’ or maybe a little more in terms of height from the ground…I can’t believe he didn’t knock anything out as he climbed through the pile of gear.

He did. He put it back

 

[shelkol]

Well I thought I lost Huey this morning, but as it turned out he broke in (he has been known to be an escape artist breaking out).

So I went to our place up North for meetings with state forester and usda / nrcs peeps on Friday. This morning I get up at zero dark thirty to hump it home. I let Huey out of the barn to handle his business and then I go about packing the FJ…I leave the rear swing out door open and continue to pack my gear…comes time to close door and leave and I can’t find the dog anywhere…it’s dark, very heavy fog…so I start calling and nothing…I am shining my head lamp around and nothin’…now I am wondering which township to start the search in…just as I happen to see I left a piece of gear out, open the rear door back up and cabin light comes on and look who is sitting in the drivers seat…that little dude scaled the gear and slipped over it the top of it to be patiently up front ready to go. So there he was. He’s a funny little guy.

We moved into a new house and during the move, the doors were all open. Finished moving stuff in and the Jason ( a Shepard mix ) was no where to be found. We called for him and searched the neighborhood - no Jason. We finally closed the doors and checked out the house. There was Jason curled up on the guest bed fast asleep.

 

[PHPaul]

Granddog Crichton and Great-granddaughter Izzy getting some Quality Time. They've been pals since before she was born.

 

[shelkol]

Bob, he's been gone for 12 years, but a great dog. He was a home body - absolutely no reason to leave home, no rides - nothing. We had a fenced in back yard, he would dig under the fence and run around to the front of the house and bark to get let in. We still miss him.

 

[skeets]

Well I no longer have my beagle, but before my wife passed, she made me promise to take care of her cat. Not being a cat person and allergic to them, and a death bed promise takes president over ever thing else you do it. But I digress, last week I found bits of cat food lying in front of the dish washer, and I swept them up. Then in front of the fridge same thing, just a couple pieces, then the dish washer again. OK whats going on here? It seems cat has figured out something, now living out inthe boon docks we have mice , thats a given. Now quite by accident I observed him picking a couple pieces of dry cat food out of the dish and dropping them in front of said kitchen items. Then backs off and lays watching the food he just put there. The damn cat is baiting mice out where he can get them !!!!
Like I said I am not a cat person,, but I am suitably Impressed !