Are you looking for pet advice?

Not really advice or anything, just an observation.
Sugar and Honey, Sug is the one with the ball at her foot, she was wanting to play.



The girls turned 2 in Dec. Honey, the one who looks and has acted more like a lab has flipped a switch. She's turned a bit docile and obeying more. She doesn't fetch (never has) but she runs great interference on the return. Honey use to be really restless at night, couldn't get her to sleep the night for nothing. We'd have to let them out and they would stay and ramble for a couple of hours outside till the barked to come back in. Sleep for a couple of hours then want to ramble again, during this Sugar would be content to stay in. Now she'll sleep all night peacefully, maybe go out once about 11pm and right back in.

Sugar, on the other hand who has been the more stoic, calm and acts more like a Great Pyrenes is now acting more goofy and playful, nipping at our heals when we're walking, trying to heard us up. She's now become our alarm clock, 6am she's at the foot of the bed yapping till one of us gets up and she'll go to the living room, laydown and go back to sleep...

One thing I'm doing is working with them on fetching, exercising them. Trying to teach them sit (easy) stay (not so easy) and fetching. Sugar is great at going and getting the ball when I tell her to and retrieving, she did this naturally, never had that in a dog. She's getting real good at doing this even without treats. Honey is just running and playing with Sugar as she doing her thing. Both get tired and I can tell when they are done. I think that's done wonders for them resting at night. It's just interesting to me how they have sort of swapped roles.

If we could get them both on the same page now!


Been watching this guy, good stuff here.

https://www.youtube.com/@willathertoncaninetraining

And as soon as I posted his channel I see he has this video "
The Best Way To Tire Out Your Dog Fast"

 

We had a lab that ended up with diabetes later in life. It's a bit of roller coaster keeping the numbers in check, since (unlike humans) they can't tell you when they are feeling crappy, etc... So, you'll be making adjustments, etc. based only on numbers or extreme visual cues.

Once you get it dialed in, you should be able to keep your pup reasonably stable as long as diet/activity is consistent.

Our lab lived another few years after onset, but she was older and dealing w/Cushings which is the root of her diabetes... So, not a fair comparison in terms of longevity.

One thing to note is that diabetes meds through the vet can be pricier than they should be. So, once you're dialed in, don't be afraid to shop around at human pharmacies (Costco, Wal-Mart, etc.), feed stores, and ranch supply places for better pricing (especially needles/insulin).

Good luck and hang in there; it's worth it

 

Well, the wife and I have been up tonight with our 13 year old rescue Beans. He is a GREAT dog, but has been showing his age lately. He has some arthritis in his hips and has slowed a bit as he has aged but nothing out of the ordinary. Tonight, he jumped off the bed to react to a noise in the house and couldn’t get back up. Not unusual so I picked him up and got him back on the bed. He has been shaking / shivering for the last few hours with shallow labored breathing. We gave him some pain meds thinking he may have aggravated his hips which he does occasionally. But the shallow, labored breathing has me very concerned. The pain meds have helped calm him down but he still seems agitated and can’t sleep (neither can we). We are going to take him to the vet first thing in the morning but my mind goes to bad places when stuff like this happens. I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst knowing his age might have some heart issues…..i just hope they can make him comfortable and get him back to being himself soon.

 

Good luck!

 

Well just got back from the vet. All signs point to two possible scenarios:
1. liver / spleen mass. Beans had a cancerous mass removed from his leg a few years ago and apparently the type that it was is commonly found in the liver too.

2. Splenic blood vessel rupture. Apparently there could be blisters that form on the spleen and rupture. They bleed a lot, cause pain and low blood pressure for a few hours and then clot themselves.

Have an US scheduled for next week to determine what is actually going on but the vet is 50/50 that it’s cancer. He is almost 12 years old and does NOT do well with anesthesia (they had to bag him for a few minutes last time he was under to get his teeth cleaned).

So we will cross our fingers, say some prayers and hope it isn’t cancer……and if it is we will decide what’s next. He is an incredible dog and I want to do whatever is right for him when the time comes.

 

Howz Beans been doin' over the weekend????

Hopefully, feeling a little better

I thought I'd drop a quick and easy homemade treat recipe for you guys...

You just need 2 items: Non-fat Plain Yogurt and fresh blueberries!!!

Mix blueberries into the yogurt; spoon a small amount onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (they'll spread out and form cookie-like shapes); pop the tray into the freezer overnight; serve frozen

It's a nice treat especially in the summer; and for some reason dogs seem to really enjoy licking on frozen treats when they aren't feeling well!!!

I hope your US goes well and at least gives you enough information so that you'll feel more comfortable with the path you decide to take and your next steps. We'll keep you and Beans in our thoughts and prayers...

It's never easy

 

He is doing ok; pain is managed much better and he is acting pretty normal. Just a bit more napping and laying around than usual. I made chicken and rice for him this weekend as the vet recommended that in case he was having some GI discomfort……and if nothing else it was a treat for him.

we got some pretty bad news that his liver enzymes were pretty high. Another indication with the enlargement of the liver that it is possibly a mass / tumor. We got the urine sample today and they’re sending that in. That will give a little more information. And awaiting to schedule the US hopefully next week. The vet was honest with us today and told us to hope for the best and to prepare for the worst. She counseled us through Zoe’s difficulties and came to the house to euthanize her when it was time and she’d tears with us. We trust her implicitly and will follow her lead.

 

Something positive at least.

 

Well this boy got some really bad news today. About two weeks ago beans had an episode where he jumped off the bed and yelped. He was in obvious pain and couldn’t sleep all night despite giving him pain medicine. He had labored, rapid and shallow breathing and everytime he moved he cried. We got him to the vet the next morning and she did a bunch of blood tests and xrayed his abdomen. She was pretty sure he either had a mass on his spleen or liver due to the size of them. We scheduled an US that we got today and they are pretty certain he has a cystic cancerous tumor on his liver where the episode he has was likely caused by one of the cysts rupturing. The body can wall them off sometimes and contain the bleed. Surgery really isn’t an option due to his age (12) and his aversion to anesthesia; also the results are apparently horrible for these types of surgeries. We will keep him comfortable with narcotic pain based meds if it happens again as you shouldn’t use the carprofen because it thins the blood and will cause more bleeding. At that time it is either a waiting game to see if the body can wall off another burst cyst or we will have to make the decision to end his suffering. He has been a GREAT dog and is literally my wife’s best friend. Attached at the hip and take three mile walks daily. She is pretty broken up but is just of the mindset that we will spoil the shit out of him for as long as we can and will make a decision when we need to. I am very sad but grateful that we know what’s going on, how to manage and for the fact that he is not in any pain at the moment. They won’t give a timeline as it is so unpredictable. But it could be weeks, months or years. Nobody knows.

 

Hoping for the best

 

I have only had to make this decision once in my life, and that was last year with my female dog. It’s a tough decision to make, but ultimately you have to think about the dogs quality of life.

not looking forward to making a similar decision for my male dog we have now.

wishing the best for you and beans! Hopefully he can pull through.

 

Wish we had a sad/sorry button with the like.

You'll make the right call at the right time.

 

I can honestly say that I am not sad…….yet. My girls (18 and 15) are pretty broken up about it. My 18 year old is leaving for college next month and she spent all day snuggling with him. She is worried that when she leaves it will be the last time she sees him. My 15 year old just adores him. He is a GREAT dog and we have been extremely lucky. We will cherish all the time we have and make him as comfortable as possible. When the time comes we will all be devastated but do whatever is best for him.

 

So things took a turn for the worse today. We took beans to the beach this weekend as it is his favorite thing to do (besides go on walks and hikes with my wife). The day after we took him he stopped eating. He would drink a crazy amount of water and almost immediately threw it up. We woke up this morning and decided to drive home today. He was very lethargic on the way home but still wagging his tail and snuggling with the kids in the backseat. While unpacking the car, he wouldn’t move. Just stared at us and we could tell he was pretty much giving up. We called the vet - and she picked up even though she had been closed for 15 minutes. We told her what was going on and she waited for us to get there.

Beans crossed the rainbow bridge at 645pm this evening and didn’t suffer one bit. He passed in our arms. My kids are crushed and my wife lost her best friend but we are so grateful to have had the time with him. I just hope we were able to give him half of what he gave us. He was a great dog - and even more than that. He was a member of our family that will leave a giant hole. Here is the picture of him a few days ago.

 

Awww, sorry to hear. We made a very similar decision with Kona last year. I could tell she was ready also.

From the sounds and looks of it, y’all gave Beans a great life!

 

sorry for your loss. He enjoyed life until the end, couldn't ask for anymore.

 

Dude.

I'm so sorry. I hate reading this happened to you and was almost in that boat not too long ago when faced with a major surgery on Magnus, my almost 13 year old pup.

Seriously, sorry... I'm hurting for your family. I know many good-hearted folks hurt when they lose a pet, but when I lost the one before Magnus, I had to call a pet loss hotline and join pet loss forums. It actually helped...

 

Sorry for your loss

It's kinda crazy how the beach will sometimes just override all ailments and stages of life; they seem to power through and have the time of their lives when they are there; like nothing is wrong. Maybe Beans just needed one more beach run with his family before he was able to say good bye and leave in peace. I know I'd be okay w/that when it's my time to go....

 

@shawn474 I'm so very sorry for the loss of your fur baby Beans. It's never easy, but it sounds like he was blessed with an amazing and full life with your family, just as you all were blessed with his love and devotion.

 

@shawn474 Not many dogs get to live a life like that. We spoil ours to make up for the ones who can't be spoiled.

 

Amen.

 

Sorry for your lose. I have made the same difficult decision yesterday to do the same with my best friend. My heart hurts.

 

I am really sorry to hear about your loss. It’s heart breaking. And I hope you can find peace knowing that you gave your best friend the best life possible. We miss beans every single day, and we make a point to mention him often to keep him in our hearts. Something on tv triggered my wife and I to think about him two nights ago and we both started crying. It gets a little easier……kind of. I take comfort in knowing he is looking down on us and laughing at us trying to corral this little puppy and teach her things. He is probably just shaking his head at us thinking, “I was way smarter that this one but she sure is cute!!!!”

 

Thank you for those kind words. It is the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I know he is happy and will look down on the family and watch over us.

 

Are you looking for pet advice?


Yes, plz.

 

Thank you to the OP for posting here and offering your expertise and guidance!

I have a 2 year old silver lab named Clyde. As you are probably aware, silver labs get their color from a recessive gene that also can have an impact on skin and coat. This typically manifests as dryness, general alopecia, etc. Well, my poor guy has this on his left side. He has always had minor patchy spots but usually on his leg joins and never on his body. We have taken him to our local vet and have had full blood work - reports confirm what we anticipated; that he doesn't have any health issues whatsoever and this is just his genetics coming through. We have a follow up appointment on the 19th, but I remembered this thread and thought I would reach out here.

We have a whole-home humidifier and air cleaning solution and keep our relative humidity at ~40%. We use this shampoo and he gets a bath every 3-4 weeks (I'm afraid to overdue it as it might further dry out his skin). He also gets a very high quality 30/20 kibble and also gets chicken breast/brown rice/sweet potato/peas/carrots (dog stew) once or twice a week. He gets tons of exercise and has a lot of energy. He grew up with kids playing soccer all around him so he runs around with his own soccer ball everywhere he goes. He sleeps indoors and has a pretty dang nice dog bed. We tend to use organic or natural soaps and detergents for cleaning the house and laundry. Wooden floors are cleaned without any chemicals but sometimes a bit of vinegar, etc.

Do you have any advice that would help restore his coat? We considered that he might favor this side when sleeping, but after observing for several days that doesn't seem to be the case. As you may be able to see from these poor quality images, his skin is dry and a little flaky on this patch. Any guidance or sharing any knowledge here would be very much appreciated.

 

You can try adding a small amount of coconut oil to his food (very small to start and then gradually increase so the tummy doesn't get upset); if you are concerned about it being in his digestive system start by just rubbing a small amount of it into the coat periodically...

 

I do have a question. We have a 3 yr old rescue Dutch Shepard. He came to us heartworm+. Over the winter we went through the melarsomine treatment with the final shots given in January. His February blood check showed no micofilaria present. I know the final free and clear check will be in October.

My question in the meantime is what kind of activity level can we bring him back up to? You have any idea how tough its been trying to keep a young Dutchie chilled out?????????????