[Akari_32]

I was doing my internship at the vet today, and a lady called in about her dog suddenly biting and developing all sorts of undesirable behaviors very suddenly. She came a few hours later, and after talking with the vet and diagnosing her with dementia, she ended up leaving the dog, asking to have her put down, unless the vet could find someone that could deal with her.

The end of the day came (they had already come in pretty late in the day), and the vet wasn’t any closer to finding someone to take the dog. She was obviously scared, just sitting in the kennel shaking and crying, no idea what was going on. I volunteered to take her home for a few days, so she wasn’t left at the clinic alone for 12 hours over night, and then for 17 hours the next day, since the clinic closes at 2 tomorrow. Plus, if she’s to be adopted out, theres no way of anyone knowing how the dog actually is around people when she’d be left alone for that long.

So I brought her home, set her up in my closest with some food and water, and a bed and toy, and little Greenies. I also went out and bought her some potty pads at the Dollar Tree, since they sell 4 packs, and I didn’t want to have a whole box of potty pads I’d only be using for a couple days lol

She’s a very sweet little dog! A little brown mini dachshund, can’t weigh more than about 6-7 pounds. She loves to be pet, is very apt to give a warning if I get to a spot that triggers her to bite (I bugged her once, trying to get her out of the kennel, and all she did was whine a little bit and turn her head around at me), walks great on a leash, and so on. I may see how she does with Bentley and the cat over the next couple days and see with mom if we can keep her. She so happy and lovable– she doesn’t need to be put down.

The one area that triggers her is very easy to avoid (left shoulder sort of area), and as long as you aren’t trying to touch her there, or put a muzzle on her (I tried to muzzle her to bring her home so I could get her in and out of the car more easily, but she wasn’t having any of that lol), she’s great. She even made me sit down so she could sit in my lap a little bit ago. This dog doesn’t need to be put down. She needs an owner that understands she has boundaries, and needs them to be respected because her little brain isn’t all there, and she will respond with instinct now, rather than conditioning.

The only “bad” thing she’s done since I brought her home is she barks at the baby gate. I was keeping Bentley and the cat out of my room, thinking they would just bother her (she barked at them some when I first brought her in), but I finally opened the bedroom door and let them come in, and she quieted right down, and has been sleeping for the last hour or so. She had two other dog friends at home, so maybe she finds comfort in having them in the room. Who knows.

So while she’s here, the vet asked me to see what triggers her to bite. So far, its just touching the one spot. Do the same thing on the other side, she doesn’t care. The lady was also shoving a syringe full of anti-biotics down her throat, which is when she would bite, and thats why she left her with us. I can’t help but wonder if one of those times she was giving the meds, if she hurt the dog in some way, and now she’s responding in the only way she knows how to make it stop. She’s also apparently been peeing inside recently, as well as barking around 4am. I’m hoping a change in routine, scenery, and life in general, will help fix both of these.

Anyways, if anyone has any tips on how to deal with dementia, go for it! I won’t tell you guys her name or post a pic just yet. Don’t want to get too attached incase the vet ends up putting her down. I really hope that doesn’t happen! This dog can live a perfectly happy life as she is right now with the proper owner. Wish her luck!

[RescueDaneMom]

Poor baby! Bless your heart for taking her in and trying to help her! I don’t have any words of wisdom for you but it sounds like you’re on the right track. Max had a sudden episode where he attacked my mom while we were dremmeling his nails. Turned out he had a fractured toe we didn’t know about and he bit my mom because he was in so much pain when I tried to dremmel that toe. I would bet money that she probably bit her owner because she was in pain.

[Cyndi]

I was going to say exactly what RescueDaneMom said. Maybe she’s hurt in the spot or bruised or somethings broken. & yes, bless your heart for taking her!! Sounds like you’re getting a bit attached already! 😉

[Akari_32]

Thanks for the support, guys 🙂 She’s such a sweet dog. It was love at first sight lol It’s so funny, getter walking on the leash outside, and her little tail goes up, and she prances around LOL I will pop in the vet on my way to work tomorrow and let him know she’s doing. That’ll help him place her a little better. Maybe I’ll have to keep her into the weekend and mom can love on her :p

Oh, and she was eating Royal Canin for Dachshunds, but I’ve got her switching over to Wellness Small Breed. The lady did bring back a few cups of the Royal Canin, and a bag of Milos Kitchen meatball treats. For a person who apparently loves her dog so much, she sure didn’t fight to keep this little one.

I’ve started to curve the barking with a quick little squirt from the cats spray bottle. Only took one, teeny squirt (and I don’t even think I hit her), and she quieted down to just whining a little bit. I’m not sure if I should correct her for whining as well, or if I should just let her get it out of her system… She’s best when the other animals are in the room, but if she realizes that I’m in the room to stay, she stops and lays down in her bed and sleeps. The dementia itself may be minimal, if she’s already getting the point about no barking. I feel like she’s hurting or was hurting from rough handling in that shoulder area and is snapping to keep people from touching it. Seems like the most likely option.

[Akari_32]

So this dog: an absolute angel. I can’t get her to react to anything I do to her. Touched and rubbed the area that seemed to bother her the most, roughly petted her all over, tried to rough her up and get her play. Only thing she wants is lovin’, and lots of it.

I decided to let her out into the house for a while, since she wasn’t bothered by Bentley and the cat, and they all did great together. They followed her around, and she followed me around. The only time she ever got even just slightly grumpy was when both her and Bentley were up on the couch, and she waddled over, hobbled up the stairs, and laid down next to me. Then Bentley, being, well– Bentley, came over and took the chance of her finally sitting still as a time to shove his face into hers and force all his love on her. She very quietly growled at him. Mostly just just lifted her lip. Bentley gets that a lot LOL He’s missing the personal-space and body-language parts of his brain XD But I moved her head away so she wasn’t looking at him, and I told Bentley to leave her alone, and after a couple grumpy sounds from her, he finally accepted it and left her alone, and curled up on my other side.

He seems to understand how old and fragile she is, because he’s normally barking up a storm, running around like an idiot, nipping at faces and ears and legs, just trying to get new dogs to play with him. But he’s very gentle with her, and seems almost like he wants to makes sure she’s ok.

Given how sweet this dog is toward me, I can’t help but wonder if she was treated too roughly by that lady. Whether she meant to be or not, however she handled the dog has left her emotionally scarred. She also hates the slip on leash the vet uses. The lady apparently took one for some reason or another, and that’s what she came to me on. But she just completely shuts down on a slip on leash. Luckily I had an old collar laying around, and it fits her great. She’s perfect on a regular leash and collar, which is just fine with me.

Anyways, she’s back in the closest now, sleeping off her adventure in the house with the other brats– I mean animals 😉 let’s just hope she doesn’t start that barking at 4 am thing… LOL

[Susan]

Hi Akari, it sounds like her owner may of abused her & the poor dog had had enough & proabably re-acted to her owner. When I first got my boy he’d whinge & cry, that’s their way of getting what they want, just don’t respond to her cries & it goes away after ignoring her, respond to her when she is quiet only, it took me 2 weeks & my boy has stopped his whinging now. You say that she is a little dachshund, Dachshunds suffer from arthritis in their little legs, she may have arthrits in her joints…do you know how old is she? & what is her name…

[Akari_32]

Yeah, I’ve been ignoring her crying. So far, I’ve only had to squirt her for barking that one time, as well. She whines, and it builds and builds and builds, and she’ll get really close to barking, then she gets quiet and starts all over again LOL

I don’t know how old she is. 12, I think, I heard the lady say. She probably does have arthritis. Her back legs seems very stiff at the hip joints, and she waddles with them spread way out lol

She’s been very quiet all night, which is great. She had been barking at 4 in the morning, and the lady said the only way she’d stop is if she got up and moved to couch and watched tv with her. She was awake at 4 this morning, but she was quiet. She keeps shaking her head, so I hope she doesn’t have eat problems. They don’t look gross (they flip open all the time), so maybe that’s just how she is. They’re so heavy for how small she is. But I suppose that’s so they droop down and funnel smellies to the nose.

The vet opens at 8 and starts taking appointments at 9. Since I’m up this early (god only knows why!), I think I’ll take her on a walk down there before it starts getting busy, let him see her and tell him how she’s doing.

Even if I don’t get to keep her, it’s a good learning experience for Bentley. He’s gotta learn that he doesn’t always have to be in other dogs faces all the time, and they don’t all have to play with him. Poor guy just doesn’t understand that not all dogs want his all his love forced on th (and trust me– off all the dogs he’s met, not including this one, only two tolerate him, and one of them is my Haley, and only because she knows she has to LOL).

Alright, fine. Her name is Ginger. Not that she responds to it, though. Typical old dog lol *rolls eyes*

[Cyndi]

LOL!! I think someone has a new doggy!! 😛 Ha ha! She sounds adorable and you are awesome for taking her in!

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
I hope she finds a home (with you or some other deserving pet lover), she sounds like a perfect dog for someone that needs a low energy companion. Hopefully the Vet can give her a physical exam (maybe X-rays too) to determine if she has arthritis to help with placement. I love short-long dogs! 🙂

[Akari_32]

Whether or not I keep her is up to mom lol She really is very sweet, though. We went into the vet to talk to him and he said it’s great that’s she’s doing so well. I told him that I thought she was being handled too roughly, and is fine once she gets over the initial “what are you doing??” phase. We both agree she needs to be in a home where she is the only dog, or there is one other dog with a similar activity level that won’t be in her face all the time.

We did end up driving though, because it was raining. Picking her up is hit and miss. She’s used to turning around and biting when picked up. First time she turned around and warned me, second time she turn her head just a little and watched me, ready to bite if she thought she needed to, and third time she was prefect. The first time was last night trying to get her into the car, and the other two times were today, once I realized she just needed to be eased into it. Just gotta do it gently, but quickly and firmly. Once she’s up, she’s good, but it’s the process she’s unsure of.

I don’t think she has dementia (if she does, it’s doesn’t show). I think she was being handled too roughly, and her behavior has started to reflect that.

I put her food down, and she wouldn’t touch it. She’s drank all Bentleys water and all the cats water though. I also added some water to her food and warmed it up, and she get excited for it, then only ate a couple bites and passed out in her bed. At least she ate some, though. Old doggies need to eat!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Akari-
What have you gotten yourself into now, young lady! LOL! That is awesome that you took her in. I hope you can find a great home for her, even though I know that you are going to end up keeping her. Yes, old doggies need to eat! Just like my old kitty that I’m trying to get to eat. It is frustrating! Especially, like you said, they seem like they are excited to eat and then take a bite and walk away. Makes me crazy! Good luck, my fellow, pet softy friend! I could never work in the pet industry. I’m afraid I would turn in to hoarder. Yikes!

[Bobby dog]

When my JRT was older I had the same issues having to pick her up because she couldn’t jump as high, then came a time when picking her up was uncomfortable for her. I had doggy steps everywhere in the house. But, I have a truck so a dog has no choice but to jump in or get help from me. At first I made this sling I would use to lift her up in the truck. lol Then I found a ramp that stored easily in my truck that she used without a problem. It took no time for her to figure out there was no pain involved with using the ramp and using it meant she got to do one of her favorite things, ride in the truck. Thought I would pass that along in case she gets a new home and it’s with someone who wants to drive places with her.

If your mom says no, I have had luck finding homes for a few stray kitties by posting info at local churches and senior citizen centers. Some of the kitties that have crossed my path have been older couch potatoes and I was able to place them with people that needed that quiet companion that was past all the training necessary for a younger pet. Also, you may be able to find a senior dog or Dachshund rescue in your area if you can’t keep her.

[crazy4cats]

Yes, Akari, a rescue group is a great idea!

[Dori]

Hi Akari. You are so sweet to take the dog in. I hope you get to keep her. Poor little thing, it will be so difficult for her to have to acclimate to someone new again. Did the vet check the dog out to make sure that she’s not internally injured or hurting or that her shoulder is okay? The previous owner was probably pushing her down or handling her very tightly each and every time she gave her the liquid medications and could also have scratched the back of her throat with the syringe. I don’t mean for you to have to pay for the exams, etc. Most vets that I have used and still use will do all this pro bono for an animal that is having issues just to be kind and make sure that there is nothing wrong. Thank you for taking the dog in to your home. It’s so sad that she has been put into this situation by whatever her previous owner’s issues are. Breaks my heart. 🙁

Forgot to say about her ears. You don’t always necessarily see a bunch of gunk in their ears if they have an ear infection. If she’s shaking her head I bet she may very well have an ear infection.

As to the dementia issue. Nothing that she is doing would lead me to that conclusion. I’ve had dogs in the past (and presently have Hannah starting to go in to early signs of dementia), what issues this dog is having have nothing to do with dementia. As you know, not all senior dogs go through dementia. Just like humans. Anyway, I’d feel pretty confident ruling out dementia and look for physical and internal problems.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by Dori.

[Akari_32]

We haven’t looked her over yet. He wants her to settle into whatever home she gets before bothering her with a bunch of stuff. She’s a very nervous little dog, and stresses easily. Just being in the waiting room this morning while I talked to the vet over the counter was freaking her out, and making her shake.

As for her ears, I just popped them open and looked down inside when she was laying down and comfortable. Didn’t get a super good look, and the vet doesn’t want to bother her just yet. But we do have several dogs a week coming in with ear problems because of how gross and humid it is here in Florida, so there’s no doubt she’s got something brewing in there. I just hope it doesn’t get too bad before she’s adopted out.

At this point, I don’t think she has dementia, either. I really do feel her behaviors are a direct result of rough handling. She was in about two weeks ago for a bladder infection (why she had the medication), and soon after is when she started biting, peeing in the house, and barking at night. She does none of this for me so far, other than sort of mouthing when picked up, and growling at Bentley a few times when he’s bothered her (and let face it, Bentley gets growled at by many dogs because he’s obnoxious, so that’s nothing new LOL). She listens to her name and commands, doesn’t get “lost” even in this new environment, doesn’t stare off into space, is quickly learning that I’m not going to hurt her– nothing that indicates dementia to me. She doesn’t even seem too put off by this whole situation. She’s just a stubborn old dog, that listens when it’s convenient to her, and probably doesn’t see or hear too overly well. She loves attention, is good with the other critters in the house, and at least drinks well. I haven’t gotten her to really eat yet, so I may try canned food. Her teeth and breath a nasty, so I kind if wonder if she has any problems with her mouth, which is why she won’t eat the kibble (and maybe why she started biting when given the medication).

[Dori]

I hear you Akari. Jim and I sometimes think that Hannah has developed selective hearing. Unfortunately she does have some senior dementia. I hope you figure out your new pups issues. I refer to her as “your pup” cause I’m hoping your mom says it’s ok to keep her. You would make such a good caring mommy to her regardless as to whether she answers to her name or not.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Popping in with an update!

I was talking to mom Wednesday about Ginger (just about her in general), and she was like “well send me a picture!” (she works out of town mon-thurs). So I hang up with her, send her a pic, and she texts back “awww she’s cute!” and then sends another one that says “but we aren’t keeping her”.

Fast forward to Thursday night when she gets home, and we were all standing around and talking, and moms like “well I don’t like her name.” Of course, everyone is thinking why does her name matter if we aren’t keeping her??

Then today, I call her while my friend and I are driving to Universal, and she’s got Ginger up on her bed (she used to doggy steps to get up there), sleeping in her pillow! At the same time, my friend was texting a few of her friends that may be able to take her or know someone who may be able to, and I was telling mom about it, and she was like “well I don’t knoooow.”

So in less than 12 hours of being around that dog, she’s got mom wrapped around her little paw, and totally trained. So we may very well have ourselves a fourth dog. And it sounds like she’s moms dog LOL I suppose we’re going to have to talk about this more when I get home. Its not like she eats very much, anyways.

And speaking of eating, I got a can of Bentley’s back up Pure Balance Stew Puppy out, and mixed a couple teaspoons of the broth in and some of the meat, and she didn’t waste any time eating it! Had mom feed her the same way today, and she apparently ate very well today as well. I also noticed she can’t get down the doggy stairs, so I wonder how good her sight is, and if she is relying more on her sense of smell, which is why she wasn’t eating the dry food. She does have cataracts, and doesn’t like to be out in the yard at night, and if the lights are out, she will not go down the stairs.

Oh, and the other day, when I was at work and my room mate was home with Ginger, she said Ginger was staring out, and took her a few minutes to get her attention and bring her “back.” So maybe she does have dementia… But even still, she’s pretty much a normal dog for her age.

[Cyndi]

Awwww, that’s awesome about your mom. Mom’s can be pushovers sometimes. I remember when I was in high school I found a kitten. My mom used to hate cats. My mom wouldn’t let me bring her in, it was dead of winter. The kitty would climb on top of our fence and look in the window of the back door. Lol! That was all it took and my mom felt bad. She had that cat for 17 years and it was her baby! Lol! They are even buried together, at mom’s request.

Glad to hear Ginger (or whatever your mom renamed her to) is eating! Sounds like she is settling in nicely! Good for you!

[Akari_32]

What a sweet story! Mom can’t help but at least like my cat LOL She just sent me a picture of him sitting on the doggy stairs so that no one could get on the bed XD

Yeah, we’ll see lol My friends, friends mom texted back (after getting my friends number lol) with a whole long “please don’t put her on craigslist or take her to the humane society” text. She’s a dachshund lover that works with a dachshund rescue here in Florida. So if we don’t keep Ginger, she will be able to find or give her a good home. She is very passionate about what she does, and I like that. I think at one point she had like 8 or so, between her own pets and dogs she was fostering lol

[Bobby dog]

That’s great that you have a very good back up plan with the Dachshund rescue!!! 🙂

Hopefully when the Vet examines her he/she can check her teeth out too. Maybe her hesitation to eat well is not only due to changes in her environment; she might need some dental work too.

[Akari_32]

Her whole mouth is just nasty. I checked her teeth the other day, and they are just black. So gross.

Oh, and I was texting mom last night, and she sent me about a billion pics of Ginger. And one of the cat. None of Bentley. LOL

On moms pillow…

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/436D8A03-121D-40DD-B6C9-CCEC0ABB4558_zpsgypkj2th.jpg

Kitty blocking the doggy stairs LOL

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/FE33ECF5-F745-42D3-8665-EAA0EE063F28_zps7jap3oha.jpg

Under the blankies.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/012549AC-C826-465E-8F20-C4FD81177540_zpsvougn0sb.jpg

Under the blankies.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B639A55E-993D-49F8-B69E-05E45BD01511_zpsc4s94c6q.jpg

Under the blankies…

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/64A60B42-B2B4-4C30-B6ED-7966A86F2077_zpsakg2v2q5.jpg

Oh! And under the blankies. Who’d’ve guessed??

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/9DED50A2-811C-45C4-8AF7-457FF720D4E8_zpspx9nddjl.jpg

[Dori]

Oh My Goodness. Is she too cute or what? Hope you’re mom is just so crazy about her that she just cannot let her go. Ginger looks like she needs her nails clipped. If her teeth are that black and disgusting as someone else mentioned that may be an issue she is having eating. So glad your mom is falling in love with her. Hope she gets to stay with you both. This would truly be a happy ending to Ginger’s life.

[Cyndi]

Awww, what a cutie! Your mom is too funny! She’s gonna beg you to let her keep her! Ha ha! I was going to say the same thing about her teeth and not eating. Maybe it’s too painful for her. You should just feed her canned or soft stuff. Poor girl!

[jakes mom]

Akari, Ginger is a very lucky girl! I just wanted to throw one possible thing out to you about the staring into space/ aggression thing. My old guy, Rascal (lost him last year to lymphoma) had partial seizures. He would just “space out” wouldn’t respond to anything for a few seconds then he would focus on the first thing he saw, usually poor Jake but sometimes a cat, and start growling and be very aggressive. Scary as hell to watch! I had to get between him and his “victim” and grab hold of him and talk to him to get him back. He would look at me as if to say, “why are you holding on to me like this?” and then was fine. Got him on phenobarb and he was fine in a week and never happened again. It does seem as tho you’re on the right track with rough handling and maybe some arthritis pain, but I just thought I’d mention the possibility.

[Akari_32]

Haha, thanks guys! She’s a total cutie. You can see why I couldn’t leave her to be put down. Just look-it that face!

Yes, Dori, she has some major talons. Not sharp, though, surprisingly. Which is nice lol But they are so long that two of them got stuck overlapping and had her hobbling around the house until I noticed lol I’ve been walking her every day to try and wear them down. I don’t want to jump into trying to get her vetted and groomed before she’s really had a chance to settle in. Of course, vetting will be done by who over adopts her (be it us, or someone else) unless an emergency comes up. I would certainly love to see her stay, but its up to mom in the end. If it were up to me, she’d be staying, no question about it! She’s such a sweetie X3

Her poor teeth are terrible. They are beyond repair at this point, and she’s so old, I wouldn’t bother even if they could be fixed. Not sure if I said this already or not, but I looked at her vet records when we had nothing else to do, and she has no shot records or anything! Only thing she has is a nail trim in 2012, something else in 2013, and then about 12 visits since the 5th of September this year, starting with a bladder infection and ending with being aggressive and me taking her on the 16th. The lady that left her says she’s 16, and the records say she’s 14. I thought I heard she was 12. So, no one knows exactly how old she is, but she’s old. The vet said he didn’t even want to give her shots she is sold old. But I will continue to feed her canned and dry mix, to keep the cost of the canned down. I’ll give her whatever the big dogs are on for dry, and whatever I get for a good price for canned. Keep it interesting lol I did try the ol’ warm water in the dry food trick, and she wouldn’t eat it.

Jakes mom, my room mate didn’t say anything about being aggressive when she came out of her daze. If she was, I would have heard about it. The only time she gets grumpy is when Bentley is too excited and gets in her face and when you try to pick her up. So it does seem like more of a pain anticipation reaction. But I did consider a mild seizure, since she hasn’t done that before for me (or anything else that would show to me that she has dementia), and we just had a dog come in doing a very similar thing (would block everything around him, and look very uncomfortable, act like he was about to throw up, and then come right back out of it like nothing ever happened). So I’m still kind of torn about the whole dementia thing. As she settles in, I’ll be able to tell better, I suppose.

[Akari_32]

Well guys, looks like we’re keeping her LOL After talking with mom, it appears she doesn’t think anyone is capable of caring for her like we do *rolls eyes* I told her the lady with the Dachshund rescue wanted her, and that she had a few other dogs as well, and she came back with “well, she’s old right? I read they only live to be 16, so she’s on her last leg!” (Of course to that I came back with how large dogs, like my 130 pound rott mix, usually only live to be 8 or so, and he’s going on 11 this coming march). And she’s also looking at a pink cage for her XD

Last night I fell asleep on the couch, and then dragged off to bed later, and Ginger plopped down on some blankets on the floor. I told mom to put her in her bed in the closet but she insisted that she would sleep right there all night and not move. Of course, I’m half asleep, so I’m not going to argue with her and get all woke up again. Then at 2 am this morning, I hear Ginger crying, and think “oh she must need to go potty” and turned the flashlight on on my phone and got up to take her out. Well, she did need to go potty, but certainly didn’t wait for me! Peed all over my carpet. At least she has just done it, so it came up easy. Needless to say, her little butt went in the closet for the rest of the night. Then she woke me up again at 8:30 crying, so I crawled out of bed, found some shoes and took her out. She didn’t waste any time going pee when we got out there. Then she promptly came inside and drank water till she threw up. Gross dog lol Mom gave her a bunch of crap yesterday (sausage and French toast), so hopefully that’s all out of her system now and she won’t do it again.

I guess I need to get her on some flea meds now (she can share the lufenuron with the cat, I suppose), and see about getting those talons cut and getting her bathed. Also need to pick a few more dog bowls, and make a place for the collection of bowls we have now LOL

[crazy4cats]

Oh, I’m so shocked. LOL! I’m glad she is going to get the care she needs in her old age.

[Cyndi]

I could have told you already, from your very first post, that you were going to keep her. Lol! Are you guys going to change her name? Ginger is kind of cute and fits the little old girl kind of, to me anyways! Good Luck with her!

[Bobby dog]

Glad she has a “retirement” home in her golden years. I also hope the Vet gives you a deal on a physical and dental care that she is in need of; hopefully at no charge! I agree with the Vet on the shots at her age, but that’s me. 🙂

P.S. Make your mom clean up the vomit next time! That usually solves the old “one bite” of something they shouldn’t have won’t hurt them.

[Bobby dog]

One thought, I wouldn’t worry about her acclimating to her new environment as a reason not to tend to her nails. IMO one important reason to trim them ASAP is long nails can split or break off causing pain and leaving potential for infection. At the very least long nails are not good for the comfort of the dog especially on hard surfaces or carpets; long nails to could snag on carpeting. They also can cause a dog to walk with an irregular gait opening the door for possible skeletal damage.

[Akari_32]

I’m glad she’s staying with us, at least for the time being. Mom hasn’t exactly said she’s staying, but it’s pretty obvious she doesn’t want her moving from place to place too much.

I haven’t done her nails yet because I want her to understand that I’m not going to hurt her. I’ve already got her to the point where I can pick her up with no problems at all, and she rarely ever flinches away at contact now. Won’t be long until I do them at this point. Walking on the concrete on walks is helping keep them worn down some, as well.

[Dori]

I don’t mean to be cynical but I guess I will just put it out there since I’ve been thinking this since early on from your posts. My feelings with your vet not wanting to do anything to the dog at all until she was going to go to her forever home and using the excuse that she was too stressed to treat her is that he was waiting until he knew who was going to end up with Ginger and then would have someone to charge for treatments. Sorry, but that’s the feeling I’ve been getting. To me it’s unconscionable to at least not do the bare minimum for the dog, I don’t mean you Akari, I mean the vet. Even a dog that is really stressed just being at the vet which a lot of them are, get their nails done. It would be much quicker to get them done for the initial time and then you can keep up with them. If they really are like talons, then I’m sure she’s very uncomfortable even walking on the concrete as that is such a hard surface and it’s painful.

[Bobby dog]

I understand your thought behind not trimming her nails. Ginger’s nails have been neglected for some time and who knows how she is getting them trimmed. But, you already wrote she was hobbled by the length of her nails when they got tangled; maybe at least try to trim some of the length away.

I can’t help it, one of the first things I notice about pets seem to be hooves and nails. If I had a good back I would become a farrier in a heartbeat. lol I actually trim and rasp my horses hooves myself in between professional trimmings to help keep them balanced, for comfort, and to help keep the proper angles needed for all the weight those poor hooves support. Without a healthy foot (man or beast) you are just plain uncomfortable.

Walking on the pavement might help keep nails (or hooves for that matter) worn, but Ginger’s nails are pretty long to start with. If you are not going to trim her nails at this time I would really re-think walking her on a hard surface for her comfort; try taking a grassy route.

[theBCnut]

Don’t forget that the way that dogs walk on their feet means that if you hear the nails clicking on the floor, the toes are being bent back. This can contribute to arthritis in the feet.

When I was working, we did have dogs that we didn’t want to stress by trimming their nails at some particular time. All of them had heart issues and if stressed, they would turn blue. One particular dog, we met in the parking lot and trimmed a couple nails, then the next day or so, we would get a couple more, and so on until the job was done. Some could safely be tranquilized. Some, we could teach the owners how to dremel the nails at home.

[Bobby dog]

I used to have to trim my JRT’s nails over a weeks time. I found she tolerated a few nails being trimmed well and I didn’t want to have her sedated if all I needed was to use a different method. If I attempted to do them all at once, she just would not let me which would make me lose my patience; no good for either of us. It was no big deal for me to do this and we avoided a wrestling match. Bobby is the exact opposite, I can trim him in no time flat; he is truly a little gentleman.

[Akari_32]

I have been working with her on letting me handle her feet since she’s been in my care. She seems ok with it, and I will probably try to get them cut tomorrow. I do agree, especially with my concerns about her ear (which doesn’t seem to be bothering her any more, btw), that at least some attention from the vet would have been nice, but since we were both expecting her to be in a new home by now, I think he just sort of pushed it aside thinking the new owner could take of it with out further stress from being displaced so recently. He also knows her to be aggressive when stressed/scared, and we tried to put a muzzle on her when she came into the clinic, and it stressed her so much she almost threw up. Either way, though, I agree he could have looked at her ear at least. I know how bad ear infections can get, and how quickly.

Oh, and when we walk, she walks where ever she wants. I don’t think she likes the grass because the ground is uneven and causes her to trip, and even cut grass is longer than her little legs are. It’s actually pretty funny watching her walk through the grass– she thinks she has to lift her paws higher than the grass is LOL But, yeah, she’d rather walk on the side walk.

[Bobby dog]

Yes it would have been nice to have had her ears checked, but to me it sounds as though she was really stressed on the day she arrived. Since it was not a life threatening situation and considering her owner was going to have her euthanized, I think keeping her calm (and you volunteering to babysit) was a better approach. Now that she has had time to relax hopefully the Vet will be able to perform a physical and dental exam soon.

Sounds like her nails might be interfering with her natural stride in the grass as well. Good luck, I hope it goes well. If nothing else do a little at a time (trimming the length as well as the number of nails you trim); not my favorite way to do it, but it worked for me and my JRT.

[Akari_32]

Nails are done! Whoo! I tried to do them myself, but my clippers are just too small. I did trim them, at least.

But today at the vet, we had some down time, so I walked home and grabbed Ginger, and walked back over. Managed to muzzle her in one try, and got her flipped on her side to hold her down very easily.

I feel like if we had rushed into this sooner, she would have been so stressed and scared. But she didn’t even growl or try to bite. I held her down while the tech I’m shadowing did the cutting. When I get some bigger clippers, I’ll try it at home again, when it’s time to do it, of course. I’ll have someone hold her while I cut. Hopefully, though, daily walks will keep them down at this point.

Speaking of walks, when we were walking home, I started up the driveway, and she was still walking down the sidewalk LOL She really loves to walk. We walked about a half mile yesterday, and we got home and she was just so happy. I’ve never seen her eyes so bright, despite the fact she was so so tired out her tounge was almost touching the floor, even with her head held up LOL I always say I hate Flexi leashes, but I do walk her and Haley on one. She has such little legs that she lags behind if she’s not running (you know she’s excited when she’s running LOL), and I don’t want her to tangle in the leash. She also stops abruptly for potty breaks, and I don’t want to jerk her (and hurt her) on accident. And then Haley just needs a quiet verbal command, or even a just hearing the lock start to click on the leash to know what I want her to do. And neither of them approach random people we pass, either. But you’ll never catch me walking a dog like Bentley on a Flexi leash! He’s stupid enough to run out into the road or run up to dogs that clearly want to eat him. The only Flexi leash I would consider for him is the Flexi City, which is a 6ft retractable, and is absolutely genius. But I ain’t paying $20+ for a leash, so that’ll never happen unless I find one at goodwill (where I got my other two full size ones lol). He gets tangled in his leash all the time because he can’t just walk in a straight line like a normal dog. I hate walking him sometimes, but someone’s gotta do it… Lol

Anyway… Lol Ginger is doing good, and eating well. I started her on a 1/2 teaspoon of keifer every day, and her poops look much better than they have been. Not all runny and smelly like they’ve been the last week. I think I’ll just keep her on it every day. I’ve been giving it to Bentley as well, the same amount, to mix the SSLL mix into, along with some canned food and coconut oil or fish oil. I also need to up her food, I think. I’ve been giving her 1/3 cup with a couple tablespoons of canned Wellness Senior (my free cans! LOL), but I think I’ll start giving her a little more of the dry, especially since she loves walks so much. Gotta keep some meat on her bones.

That’s all I’ve got for now, I think. She’s passed out on the couch, sleeping off her nail trim lol

[Bobby dog]

That’s good for her Akari, she must feel so much better now!!! 😉

[Akari_32]

She really is. Even the vet commented on how much more relaxed she was. She was hardly even scared just going into the vet. Last time she shook so hard I’m surprised she didn’t rattle.

OMG you should hear her snoring right now, it’s hilarious LOL

[Bobby dog]

I love a good cat or doggy snore! 😉

[Bobby dog]

and you know I love and am a big fan of feeding Kefir!!!! 😉

[Dori]

Hi Akari. I’m sorry if it seemed like I was on your case for a while there but I really really thought it was important to get Ginger’s nails trimmed down asap. So glad it’s done. I’m thrilled that she’s doing so well on her walks. She seems so happy now because she’s got people in her life who love and care for her and have her best interests at heart and I’m sure she knows it. Good for you and your mom.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Dori.

[Akari_32]

I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think she could handle it yet. I did try to get the vet to look at her teeth while we were there today, but his advertiser came in and they talked until the next appointment came in, so I didn’t get a chance to have him look. However, they really are too far gone to do much of anything to, besides maybe pull them all. She eats without problem and chews greenies and oversized treats just fine, and I’m 99% sure I can’t afford anything to do with anything dental-y. I do want him to look and make sure nothing is a serious, life threatening (or at least over all quality-of-life threatening) issue in there with in the next few weeks. A person has to have more than $12 to their name before they can have a vet do stuff >.< lol

Mom came home tonight and referred to Ginger as “her puppy” (and “little orphan dog” LOL). For a dog that isn’t supposed to be staying, someone had grown quite attached. I mean, look at this that she posted on Facebook tonight! (Also notice how the cat, who she “hates” is in the middle, and not “her Bentley” :p)

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/42BF73D8-08B1-451C-8F57-BADCDA503099_zpstwdl30vr.jpg

LOL

[Dori]

Those are some adorable pics. Ginger must think she’s died and gone to heaven. You and your mom are very kind people. I know you feel that you are lucky to have them but I’m quite sure they count themselves lucky to have you both in ther lives.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Dori.

[Bobby dog]

Very nice pics! I haven’t seen pics of Haley or Dweezle before, they are very nice looking dogs. I think it is only fitting that Alec is in the middle! He is the king of the castle after all. 😉

Have you tried brushing her teeth? It may not be as bad as it looks.

I hear you, unfortunately senior pet care is a little more costly than it is for are young pups. You’re right, getting her teeth checked for quality of life and life threatening issues is important. But, from your description it does sound like trying to save her teeth is probably not the best or safest. Getting some teeth pulled is much better than living with discomfort or future illness if that’s what she needs.

My senior kitty has lost two this past year alone. The last one was a surprise, but the one before that might have left behind a little of the root which meant surgical removal if that was the case. Luckily for him (and I guess my bank account) the root wasn’t left behind and it healed over nicely with the help of some antibiotics. I just hate the thought of putting him under anesthesia at his age. But, it is what it is and it’s just something I have to monitor in his golden years. Like Ginger, he’s got really bad teeth too. Good thing he loves canned food, that’s the only thing he is going to be able to eat soon! He’s the pet that’s going to have every senior ailment known to man as he ages, my other three you would never know they are 14+ years old. lol

[crazy4cats]

Awesome pic!

[Akari_32]

Thanks guys!

I haven’t posted pics of Haley and Dweezle before?? Hm lol I’ll have to find some good ones for you. Mom is really good at making the animals look derpy in her pics LOL

I’ve not tried to brush her teeth, but I don’t think it’ll go over well. She doesn’t even like it when I lift her lip up to look at her teeth. I don’t see any brushing happening LOL

[Bobby dog]

You probably have posted pics of them before, but I missed them. They are very cute nevertheless!!! 😉

[Akari_32]

So an update on Ginger is in order.

Mom, once again, is a complete idiot. She put the doggy stairs up to her bed, which in and of itself is great, and I’m glad she’s remember to do that, but her bed is a good 10-12 inch taller than the stairs are!! She expects this 7 inch tall (probably less!), 14 year old dog to get from the top of the stairs to the top of the bed. Even worse, she expects her to down. Ginger fell down the stairs getting down while I was at work the other day, and now she’s limping on her front right leg, flinching away from contact, and biting (mouthing and snarling, really) when being picked up. She’s also pacing the house, obviously uncomfortable, and doesn’t seem to know what to do. Hopefully she’ll just need some Previcox and down time to recover, and nothing more.

On the Previcox note, I can’t help but wonder if she’s at a point where she needs pain management to live comfortably. I’ve been thinking this side before the steps incident, because she never has fully stopped flinching away from certain contact. She’s also got another fatty tumor forming very quickly on the side of her stomach– I can’t help but wonder if it’s hurting her with how fast it’s forming, or if it’s something else. She also went out peed the other morning, then came in, drank a ton of water, then peed straight water on the floor. Had no color at all to it. The vet said she maybe be diabetic or have some other problems (just looking at her you can tell she’s not in the best of health), and to try and get a pee sample (he said that before the even happened). Either way, vet in the morning. Thankfully orthopedic exams are free, so that’ll save me some money…. Lol

Some good news though, I can’t believe how nice her coat has gotten over the last two weeks I’ve had her. She was eating Royal Canin Dachshund, and now I’ve got her on Wellness Toy Breed and various canned foods (was Pure Balance, now on Wellness Senior), as well as coconut and fish oil rotated on a daily basis, and kefir daily. She’s very soft and shiny and doesn’t shed as much. I may put her on Wellness CORE Small Breed. Depends on if I can get a good price, and how she adapts to changes in just the canned food for now. Lord knows she’s probably been on that one Royal Canin for her entire life.

[Author]

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