Hi, Skelly!
Really random question here but I think your honestly the best person to ask on this topic. This is non-Star Wars related btw. Feel free to ignore.
I have these neighbours who arent the best of people. They got a dog 2 years ago I believe, a Belgian Shepherd. Unsurprisingly, she barks a lot.
We don't think the owners are abusing her or not feeding her or anything, just not taking her for a lot of walks. It's their first dog (the mum, dad and two sons, to be exact, none have ever had a dog before) and obviously shouldn't have gotten a Belgian Shepherd when they have a smallish backyard.
I was wondering if there was something I - or my family - could do? None of us blame the dog, just the inexperienced-ness of the family.
You don't have to reply to this, as I know its out of pocket and not what you expect. Was just curious.
Have a great day/night!
~Jamie.
P.S. My puppy had a scare last year when she was only 2 and a half months or so and we had to go to ER for her. Geez, that place is stressful so my thanks to you and your workers everywhere!
Buckle up and get comfortable, I have A LOT to say on this issue:
(TRIGGER WARNING-I WORK VETERINARY ER AND THERE WILL BE MENTIONS OF DEATH AND OTHER DARK ASPECTS OF WHAT VET STAFF SEE IN THE FIELD. Consider yourself warned. I am ranting as a PSA and FYI for those not familiar but REALLY need to know what we do! If you feel brave PLEASE give it the time to read. Thanks!!!)
OHHH, I LOVE SHEPPIES!!! They are SO smarticle, sweet, energetic...and extremely spirited. However, they DEFINITELY need exercise. More importantly, they need mental stimulation. A several mile walk is great for the body, but not something everyone can do daily. Plus, these guys are brilliant (only second to the esteemed Border Collie) and their mind is like a hamster on a wheel. So, training, commands, tricks, agility courses and anything that requires not just exercise, but mental stimulation is top priority. These guys were bred to run and think on their feet. THEY NEED A JOB! They AT LEAST (and this is foundational) NEED TO BE WALKED DAILY!!! Every dog needs to be walked daily as this also helps with bone density, muscle strength, balance, cardiovascular function, etc. Same with humans. If you don't exercise, you can become depressed, overweight, brittle bones, diabetic, constipated, and a host of other health issues later in life that cost money to regulate and fix.
Most owners buy a dog as a companion, and these guys can be amazing ones. However they aren't your lazy Golden Retrievers or Greyhounds (while sporting class they do a burst of energy and lay around a lot normally). Unfortunately, dogs not given mental stimulation will show the following behaviors: excessive barking, destructive chewing, inappropriate urination/defecation, escaping out of the yard and getting in trouble/injured, misbehavior to commands, possible self injury, and unfortunately even aggression towards people and other animal housemates. A LOT of working/sporting dogs wind up in shelters and euthanized due to these behaviors when all they needed was regular exercise, training, and mental stimulation. A LOT of regular non sporting dogs do too.
In order to keep their dog, they need to include them as a true member of the family. Plan family activities with the dog. Can they run errands with a family member who might just want to do a ride along and the dog comes with to sit in the car when the person goes in. They can also research places that allow shoppers to bring their dogs into the facility: Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels, some downtown shops in their area might allow it. Shop for dog snacks/food and take the dog with them to pick it up as many pet stores allow dogs in their store. Heck we have restaurants and coffee shops that cater to outdoor dining patrons who bring their dogs...and the dogs get spoiled too.
If their dog is too rambunctious, then they DEFINITELY NEED TO SIGN UP AND GO TO DOG TRAINING CLASSES. ALL THE CLASSES, and more than just puppy training. Really, this should be foundational too. Every dog needs training. Again, get the whole family involved, because the dog (like children and adults) need consistency and everyone needs to know what to do when walking, interacting, and commanding "Sheppie" to behave like a Good Canine Citizen. There is a a right way to train and a horrible way to reinforce negative behaviors in a canine. EVERYONE needs to put in the work. Everyone needs to feed the dog, fill it's water bowl, pick up the poop, and walk the dog. Everyone needs to play and pet the poochie. That's why you get a dog!
The family needs to do some honest soul searching to figure out if this dog and breed REALLY fits with their family dynamic. If not, they the dog should go back to the rescue or shelter (many shelters have a return clause in their paperwork that says they MUST return the dog to them. It's for safety reasons) or find a RESPONSIBLE new owner to adopt "Sheppie". There are rescues, shelters, and fosters online. Again, they took on the responsibility and they need to do their due diligence to find a good home for this living breathing animal.
Let me also debunk a horrible myth that still circulates: REHOMING YOUR ANIMAL IS NOT WRONG IF YOU CANNOT TAKE CARE OF OR PROVIDE FOR IT! Screaming it for the people in the back!!! I have been working in the vet field for over 8 years (general practice, shelter med, emergency, high volume TNR) and have seen some horrendous shit when people keep an animal that they no longer wish to interact with. It can be mild contempt for the perceived burden to downright neglect and abuse. Also, I have seen family members and household pets in danger or actually mauled from dogs that people refused to put more money/couldn't afford/didn't have time for training that kept/refused to rehome to a place with no children/no pets/etc. And, understandably, many of these people LOVED that dog and kept trying to fix the situation. But sometimes you cannot, and the aggression, destruction, ingestion of foreign objects (we have frequent visitors to my ER that have foreign body surgeries due to anxiety chewing/swallowing-some end as euthanasia's). I have had owner's come in with animals that needed to be euthanized for aggression due to high drive, with their housemate mauled, and the owner mauled and bleeding (trying to pull them apart)-all of them showing up together. We have had bored dogs jump the fence to find something interesting to do and get hung up on it, needing emergency surgery. We have had them run out into the street and hit by cars. These things happen to all dogs that require someone to tend to their needs EVERY DAY!
I had to rehome a Dutch Shepherd that we took on as a foster (from a not good situation-putting it mildly) when she tried to maul my elderly German Shepherds (and that was with daily walks, daily at home training, professional training, and veterinary medical evaluations), we found a rescue that deals with security/military breeds to take her to. Sometimes the animal you choose to have in your home may NOT FIT WITH YOUR FAMILY. It happens.
So, you asked what you can do? First, thank you for caring and wanting to do something. Second, you can print out information on local dog training places, agility, and specific breed information (Belgian Shepherds include: Malinois, Turveren, Laekenois, and Groenendael, so tailor it to what their dog is), and anything else you can think of to offer to the owner. Try to approach it as helping and not frustration. HOWEVER, I will warn you now that sometimes people are not open to outside help and will not take this positively. Even people seeking out medical veterinary help can get defensive when we try to help them. Unfortunately, nice people who take on a high drive/high energy breed for their first dog are unaware of the huge responsibility they have. And, not demonizing here, but they buy the dog with the ideal they have for themselves and forget this animal has needs and is languishing without proper care...even a mental/physical outlet. And from what I have seen, this is an epidemic. For those reading this: if you feel you have to "come at me" go volunteer at a shelter/rescue or go have a heart to heart discussion with ANY veterinary professional. If someone was entrusted as your guardian with the responsibility of your mental healthcare and didn't see to your mental health needs and you had no outlet, how would you feel?
Actually...that is happening now in epidemic proportions. It sucks, right???
I wish you luck @fionajames . It's NEVER bad to reach out and attempt to help. At least you tried and I LOVE YOU FOR IT!
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baby kitty’s spay incision opened for a second time. today is 5 days post-op. she is on antibiotics (oral & topical) to treat minor infection from the first incision opening (occurred 4 days post op). she got the wound re-glued today. she has been in a cone, she has not been running or jumping or pawing at it. does anyone have any advice about preventing this or insight into why this is happening
My sister’s dog is seven months old, and for the past few days, he’s been withdrawn and pouty, which is seriously out of character for him.
I don’t think anything serious is wrong. As far as I know, he’s eating and doing his business like normal. He usually loves coming to play with our dog, and today he snapped at him when I gave them a treat puzzle. The only thing I can think of is that he got a Flea/Tick/Heartworm pill around the time this all started. Can anyone recommend any advice?
i'm sorry to bother you, but you're kind of the only vet (in training) that i know. the dog i'm talking about is a shih tzu, and we're pretty sure she caught kennel cough from one of my other dogs. the reason i'm asking, though, is that because she's a shih tzu, she's doing the reverse breathing thing a lot more. i was wondering if there was anything i could do to help her when this happens?
Hi lovely! You’re not a bother at all, I promise.
First of all, I’m going to preface this by saying, please do not take my word as gospel. Please remember that I am a veterinary student and that I’m still learning and progressing in my knowledge. So my biggest advice right now would be to go to a local veterinarian who can take into account your little dog’s history/background and provide the best advice/care for your shih tzu.
Kennel cough is definitely very common around this time of year and it’s super easy to catch from one dog to another. Think of it like a human flu, and even when you give dogs the bordetella vaccine, it’s as effective as our flu vaccine and it just isn’t effective against every strain of kennel cough. The vaccine helps to limit the severity of the disease, but isn’t super helpful to fully prevent infection.
To my knowledge, reverse sneezing isn’t dangerous or a medical concern. Kennel cough, like our flu, causes coughing, retching, and nasal discharge. Because of those symptoms, it can definitely play up the reverse sneezing and make it harder for her to breathe and trigger more reverse sneezing episodes if she’s having a coughing fit, but I wouldn’t say enough of an issue to be a concern.
Best advice would just be to make sure you can keep her airways clear and make sure she isn’t crowded. Most cases of kennel cough can pass on their own, and since reverse sneezing isn’t a major health concern, I would just make sure she’s comfortable and hydrated. If she shows any sings of worsening or no improvement in the next few days, then a veterinarian can prescribe an antibiotic like amoxicillin to help fight the bacterial infection.
Overall, the reversal sneezing shouldn’t cause any major complications, in my opinion. She should be able to pass the infection on her own. But again I want to stress, the best thing you can do is take her to a local veterinarian who will be able to take into account your dog’s history and health status and prescribe the best medication and advice for your dog.
I hope this helps, and I hope your dog gets better soon and feels better. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do help or any other semi-professional-still-learning-but-gaining-knowledge-daily advice!
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Guys my horse Indi stepped on a kitten's foot and tore it up idk what to do. I tried to get a pic but it's not very good her foot is tore open and she so tiny I'm out of my league with this one 😥
If anyone can help, please consider offering any advice. I don’t keep up with tumblr, so if anyone knows any vet blogs please consider tagging them for me.
I mentioned my mother's cat in my previous post. The last time I was home I took him to the vet, where he was diagnosed with severe arthritis. I'm home visiting again and his condition has CLEARLY deteriorated. He's emaciated, has NO muscle mass, and can barely walk.
He's been getting monthly steroid shots for about 4 months, but apparently my mother has been doing them at home and the vet hasn't seen him since the visit where I brought him. I'm going to get another appointment at the vet tomorrow.
My mother claims he's eating frequently, and they've even been giving him ample scrap meat, eggs, and raw milk daily. Yet he continues to lose weight, and his muscle continues to deteriorate. Last time I took him in they did X-rays (I'll post one below), and recent bloodwork doesn't show anything especially wrong with his vitals or his thyroid. What could be causing this? I need something to at least suggest to the vet, because up to this point they've maintained his issues have to be related to the arthritis. I just don't feel like this drastic weight loss despite eating adequate calories is arthritis related.
Any advice is appreciated.
(Note about the image below: he was absolutely full of feces, because it hurts for him to defecate. He was given a laxative and passed everything after this x-ray was taken. He is on are regular laxative now)
