Question for dog owners

[danzig6767]

I bought a puppy (Toy Fox Terrier) for my daughters birthday in April,it's the first dog i've ever owned.Tyson is now about 5 months old and today my daughter was throwing the ball to him by this big grass area right by our place,the little guy is fast as hell when running full speed.

 

Anyways she still had on the small cat leash that we use and she said it tangled in his back foot as he was running and he stopped right away and started squealing,i heard it all the way from my place.Tyson wouldn't put any pressure on that leg when he tried to walk,he kept it off the ground entirely and just used his other three legs.

 

So i gave it roughly an hour and a half or so and he looked very uncomfortable,shaking a bit,but yet not wimpering as if in great pain.I called my mom who has owned dogs and she said she would give it time before going to the vet,but i got worried and instead took him there.The vet had some fear it was a dislocated hip,but 2 xrays showed no damage and the vet said it was likely a strain/sprain.Gave him a shot and some medicine,final bill about 200 dollars,more than i expected.Felt like i wasted the money by rushing to the vet.

 

My question is,how do you dog owners know when to go to a vet if they get hurt and are favoring a leg?Tyson hurt a foot or leg once before,didn't see how,but after roughly 30 minutes he was walking on it somewhat.Dogs obviously don't talk so i felt clueless as to whether today i should have given the injury a day to see if it got better or go to the vet pretty quick because dogs will try to walk and might make it worse.

 

I forgot to ask the vet this,but either way i'm sure he'd have said bring him in right away given the bill i got.

 

 

(added tag --1992)

[1992casey]

I think that given Tyson was having obvious pain an hour and a half later, you did the right thing by hauling him in. Even though the vet found nothing, the medication is going to make him more comfortable.

 

Some of the other stuff you'll eventually experience, such as diarrhea or vomiting, can probably wait 24 hours. You might want to consult the vet over the phone, though.

 

If he's not inclined to chew it, you might want to consider a leather leash. Besides being less apt to tangle, it's really easy on the hands.

 

Out of curiosity, what parts of the bill were most expensive?

[trwi7]

I know my uncle has a dog and she hurt her leg. Didn't know what happened to it or how it happened but she needed surgery. Still can't walk right on the leg.

 

IMO you did do the right thing taking it to the vet right away. Next time I suggest getting a bigger dog. They're dumber (or at least my dog is) but man they're sturdy and built like a ton of bricks (or, again at least mine is.)http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[danzig6767]

If he's not inclined to chew it, you might want to consider a leather leash. Besides being less apt to tangle, it's really easy on the hands.

 

One reason she kept the leash on while playing catch and he's running fast is Tyson listens in the house when we say sit or come here,but once he gets outside his listening skills shrink alot by all the distractions and by being amped up.Plus,there are quite a few birds/rabbits/chipmunks by us and he goes after them if not being held on the leash.With the leash on if he won't come when we tell him to,it's easier to grab him via the leash vs without it.He's only 8 pounds ,lightning fast,and very agile.Guess i need to watch a few more Dog Whisperer episodes so the guy listens outside like he does in the househttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

I mainly asked the question because my dog loves to run and can really jump high on things,i'm guessing this won't be the first time he hurts a leg or foot.

 

Out of curiosity, what parts of the bill were most expensive?

 

Office visit=40

2 Radiograph=84

Radiology interpretation=12

Radiology set up fee=18

Metacam injection=26

Metacam 15ml take home=18

 

I have no idea if the prices are excessive,i just use the same vet i've been taking my Bearded Dragon to the last five years.

 

Next time I suggest getting a bigger dog. They're dumber (or at least my dog is) but man they're sturdy and built like a ton of bricks (or, again at least mine is.)http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

My daughter wanted a smaller dog and we eventually settled on the Toy Fox Terrier breed after some research.I love the little guy,but underestimated the energy level of a puppy in this breed.Always wants top play,sometimes drives me nut during close Brewer games and takes him forever to get tired.I love rottweilers,but my daughter didn't share that love.

[Crazyk1294]

My dog used to whine a lot for seemingly no good reason. We thought maybe somthing was wrong with him. He was chewing on his bone and started crying and crying. It turns out that he was just frustrated that he couldn't find a good place to burry his bone. He still does that till this day.

 

It sounds like in your situation that your dog may actually be hurt, mine is just a 120 pound whimp.

[Teatoe993]

I have an Italian Greyhound and have had a number of hurt leg scares. When my dog hurts himself or I step on his leg or whatever, I'll try to feel the affected leg. I try to feel if anything is broken or seperated. I squeeze the entire leg and try to find anything wrong. If you end up touching or squeezing an area that is not right, the dog will usually let you know it by screaming or nipping at you.

 

If you find something when you do this, I recommend making a vet visit. However if nothing obviously wrong is found, I tell my dog to be a man and walk it off because it's probably just something he twisted or sprained. The dog may limp around, but the condition seems to improve within a day or so if his activity is limited.

 

A couple months ago, my dog ran into a stack of pipes when I was tossing him a tennis ball. Hit hit the pipes at full speed and flipped a couple times in the air before landing on his side. It looked terrible. He got up and whimpered a bit. I walked up to him slowly to see if there was any visual evidence that he was hurt. But once he saw the tennis ball in my hand, he got all excited for me to throw it again. I figured he must not be hurt that bad if he wants to keep playing. So He chased the ball for a couple more minutes until he started licking his leg. I took a closer look at it and discovered a huge gash on his leg with his tendons exposed. I threw him in the car and rushed him to the vet after seeing that.

[1992casey]

I can't comment on radiology/x-rays because I've never run into that, but the other charges seem in line. I've taken my dog to two vets. One charges around $40 for an office visit. The other charges $12, but adds on for stuff that the other vet will include in the $40. Horse apiece, I guess.

 

Metacam is expensive. I pay $87 for 100 ml. That's better than $43 for about a third of that amount. $18 would seem right in line for 15 ml. 100 ml covers my German Shepherd mix for 54 days. With a small dog, of course, you don't need as much.

 

I think the issue is more breed vs. breed than large vs. small. In this case, I think it was simply an accident that could have happened to any pet, regardless of breed or size.

 

It looks to me that danzig6767 did his homework, which is the most important thing. You'll know what you're going to be up against.

 

For instance, my friend's getting a Papillon after having Miniature Pinschers. No sweat if the mini-pins jump from fairly significant heights, for instance. With the Papillon, that's less likely to be the case. On the other hand, the Papillon sounds like it'll be much easier to train.

 

With large breeds, you can bet on experiencing hip and joint issues at some point. With my Shepherd mix being a few weeks shy of 15, I'm experiencing that right now.

 

danzig6767, I wasn't questioning the use of the leash; I was simply saying that leather is the nicest option. Nylon can burn your hands, for instance, and tangles easier.

 

While I'm thinking of it and just in case you consider buying one: retractable leashes can be great, but they have to be very carefully handled. There was a report a few months ago of a person actually losing part of a finger because of one of those things. If a person can lose a finger, obviously, you also have to be watching your pet carefully. The big rule is that children shouldn't be allowed to handle those things. The second rule is that teenagers and adults should be fully aware of the directions and warnings on the package.

 

One potential cost-saver: if your dog is ever prescribed human medication (Metacam isn't), you may save by taking the prescription to your local pharmacist.

[dadofandrew]

It's tough listening to an animal in pain, and to be honest, $200 seems pretty reasonable considering 2 X-rays. That said, I would have probably waited a day or two, unless it was obviously broken or dislocated. Our dog has had a sore foot or leg several times, and it always is fine within a couple days.

[MrAgro]

Wipe some dirt on it and wait it out as long as possible. That's my theory....observe it for a couple hours and if you can wait til the next day you are almost in the clear...keep waiting until it's not a problem. Of course, if it keeps getting worse you will still have spend that $200.

[danzig6767]

My dog is starting to walk on it today,so it obviously was just a sprain and a lesson learned that i probably should have just given it a day or at least a few more hours.I'm assuming in retrospect,if it was really serious,he'd have seemed in extreme pain and he really looked more scared/upset than in bad pain.

 

One thing that was hard to do was keep him fairly inactive.Tyson was still trying to jump on/off the couch and took a funny header trying to jump on.Must be the mix of the breed being very active and he's no doubt not a passive one from his litter.In fact we named him Tyson because he seems to think he's the baddest dog on the planet even though he's a bite sized lunch for many big dogs.

 

Thanks for the responces,i've never had a dog,either as a kid or adult so some stuff is still new to me.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/danzig6767/DOGGGGGYYYMay18069.jpg

[bullox]

Awesome little dog there, Danzig.

[homer]

I'm not normally a big terrier fan but that little guy is awesome! Looks like a little outlaw.

[1992casey]

danzig6767, I think the one thing I would do is call your vet and do some kind of post-mortem on this situation. (Take post-mortem figuratively, of course.) You might ask about interventions you could try before taking Tyson in if something similar ever happens again. Tylenol may be an option, for instance. (I can't keep track of the Tylenol vs. Ibuprofen vs. Aspirin thing; your vet can clarify that.)

 

As far as keeping him quiet, do you own a crate? Besides being nice for keeping him out of the way at times and assisting with housebreaking, these can function as sick beds when you need to restrict the animal's activity. While dogs shouldn't be 'over-crated', using one of these things isn't cruel. Their 'denning' instinct generally makes them feel at home.

[danzig6767]

As far as keeping him quiet, do you own a crate? Besides being nice for keeping him out of the way at times and assisting with housebreaking, these can function as sick beds when you need to restrict the animal's activity. While dogs shouldn't be 'over-crated', using one of these things isn't cruel. Their 'denning' instinct generally makes them feel at home.

 

I bought the dog on the internet and had him flown in from South Dakota in a crate.I did it that way because i couldn't find a breed we wanted at the Human Society and they asked me not to buy a puppy from a pet store because i guess many come from puppy mills.So we looked online and my daughter found this one and i talked to the breeder who lived on a farm.The dogs weren't crated,he said they were a small breeder.

 

Anyways,Tyson went crazy whenever in the crate,barking/crying non stop and biting at the crate.My daughter let him sleep in her bed early on and if we tried putting him back in the crate,it wasn't pretty.This likely slowed the potting training some,but he's about 75 percent trained now.Once in awhile i wake up to some crap on the floor by the patio door,but that's gone from every day to once a week at most.

 

The one training method i'm struggling most with is getting him to come to me if he's off the leash and outside.In the house he listens 90 percent of the time if i say come here or sit,outside it's maybe 20 percent.I often have to chase him down which isn't easy,hes to damn fast and agile.I'll be throwing him his ball and he fetches/brings it back,loves playing this,but if he see a rabbit/bird etc he'll bolt and the getting him back game is on.I yell at him when i finally catch the little guy,but i'm guessing he has no clue what i'm yelling about or he just ignores it.I dunno.

[MrAgro]

Some things for 'come'

 

1. long lead line......start pulling him in and say, "come, come, good boy, come" as you reel him in. He'll get the picture....small tasty treats are a good reward. eventually you can make it work by just saying come.

2. clicker training was a really fast way for our dog to learn things. Work on all the commands and eventually he'll realize you lead his pack.

3. he's a pup so no matter how good you are, he's gonna take some time.

[1992casey]

As far as I know, dealing with the dog running off is a no-win situation. If you punish him when he comes back, he thinks he's being punished for coming back. While it seems counterintuitive, as MrAgro says, I guess you have to reward him.

 

I don't know what to suggest about the crate. It'd be nice if Tyson would buy into the concept because it offers a ton of advantages.

 

For one thing, crates make the dog much safer in the car. People have died in airplane crashes while pets in crates have survived. Casey (my dog) was never good about the crate when I was home, but would sleep in it in my parents' basement and would use it when I'd leave the house.

 

I eventually found it unnecessary to crate him when I left him home, but the crate's still around, though. I have the door detached, and he goes in there on his own when he wants some privacy.

 

As far as being 75% potty trained, you may already know this, but Nature's Miracle is absolutely premium when it comes to getting pet messes (especially urine) out of carpeting. It has enzymes that actually 'eat' the stain/odor.

 

Besides the fact that it's expensive, the only hassle is that you have to leave the spot wet (after soaking up as much urine as possible with paper towels). And after a couple of days, you may temporarily notice a horrific urine smell. That's OK, though; it means the product is doing it's job. You can get this at any of the chain pet supply stores.

 

And for a first-time dog owner, congratulations on acquiring your dog the right way. The Humane Society, rescue groups, and reputable breeders are the right sources.

 

(Well, Casey was literally 'born in a barn'; the offspring of knocked-up mothers deserve homes, too?as long as the dog is a give-away. I'm actually his second 'parent'. My brother had him before he got married; my former sister-in-law didn't want him because Milwaukee has a five dog per household limit and he got in the way of her being able to keep all of her dogs.)

 

Obedience training is something you definitely want to do. If she's old enough, you may want to ask the instructor about your daughter being the primary trainer.

 

Casey was obedience-trained, and when I got him, he came with a vocabulary. (He was almost 8 years old at the time.) I'd take him to the local tavern occasionally. I'd keep him tethered with the leash around my wrist. He'd just lie next to the stool and people would comment on his good behavior. When it was time for a potty-run, someone was always glad to hold his leash.

 

There was only one minor hassle. One time, a friend pulled up in his truck with his dog. Casey recognized the truck, the man, and the dog. He jumped up, taking me, the stool, and my beer with him.

[aracko]

Trick for your dog learning to not run from you - tie a long rope to him/her - 25 feet or even 50. You will always be able to catch him if he takes off. then you give a good yank and bring him back. It will significantly slow the dog down but will give him freedom to learn to stay close.

[Thurston Fluff]

I'd probably have waited a day but it's hard to say unless you see how bad they are favoring it. I tend to observe their attitude more than how well they are moving osmetimes a dog will over react to a small amount of soreness because they haven't figured out what caused it and aren't sure if it's over with yet so-to-speak . If a dog is really hurting they may get quiet/grumpy. If that doesn't go away something is wrong. It would also be wise to keep kids away from her if she is in pain since grumpy=nippy. I don't really like pain killers for a dog unless it's really bad since the pain also keeps them from overusing the trouble spot. Got a border collie that is impossible to keep inactive so I feel your pain.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

I'm not trying to play know it all so take these suggestions simply as that - suggestions. I do work a lot off leash and it sounds like you dog could be one of those real cool hyper dogs that can be real fun or a real pain. A lot will depend on how much work you put in with your dog.

Something that might help keep shut your dog down when you don't want to play for a while is to say "done" pick up all toys then ignore her. After a while the dog will get that play time is over and go lay down or amuse herself another way. It works well for me or my dog would never stop. A leash on the dog while playing is not a good idea as you probably have already found out. I understand why you did it but it's dangerous. Working with a dog off leash is easier if you walk them first. It burns some of the initial excitement. Before unleashing work on some of the basic commands then take the leash off while she's interested in what you are doing. Only allow her to go so far from you at first and gradually allow her range to increase then call her back. In time she'll start to automatically come back. Never get frustrated and use the bad voice, it only makes it worse. When she does come back to your side make sure to treat /praise her. When working off leash it is very important to always be nice when she does come to your side. Even if it was not right awya and you are mad she didn't listen right away. I see that a lot when the dog finally comes back the owner scolds them for not listening right away. The only thing the dogs knows is they got yelled when they got back.

These are only ideas nothing is fool proof. Have fun she sounds like she could be a blast to play with.

[SenatorShriv]

With a small dog like that try tying a really thick fishing line to him while training him out doors. The fact that you still have some control over him but you're 15 - 25 ft away will freak it out and show that you have control over it. It also allows you to give it quick little tugs to regain its attention when their mind starts to lose its focus.

 

The X-Ray fees you played are totally in line. My dog was hit by a car and needed surgery to repair it. I'm now saving up to have the rods and screws they installed taken out because they are starting to cause her obvious discomfort about a year later. After both surgeries I'll probably have dropped almost $3000 but it has been totally worth it.

[craigharmann]

Watch "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic. We had it recommended, because we have a cocker who is a bit high strung. He's done SOOOO much better because my wife and I have become the pack leaders and are not treating him like a person, but a dog. Great stuff!

[danzig6767]

2. clicker training was a really fast way for our dog to learn things. Work on all the commands and eventually he'll realize you lead his pack.

 

Saw that on the Dog Whisperer and considered trying it,but i doubt Tyson would hear it as he's playing his catch me if you can game outside.

 

 

As far as being 75% potty trained, you may already know this, but Nature's Miracle is absolutely premium when it comes to getting pet messes (especially urine) out of carpeting. It has enzymes that actually 'eat' the stain/odor.

 

I'm kinda lucky in that when he does go in the house if he wakes up before us,the majority of times it's on this small foot rug right in front of the patio door instead of the carpet.I just throw it in the wash machine one or twice a week.

 

 

Obedience training is something you definitely want to do. If she's old enough, you may want to ask the instructor about your daughter being the primary trainer.

 

I considered it,but it is fairly pricey and besides running off outside and chewing cords,Tyson listens to me.My daughter though is another story,he doesn't listen to her.My guess is he fears me whe he misbehaves,in the house at least,but doesn't fear my daughter.

 

 

Working with a dog off leash is easier if you walk them first. It burns some of the initial excitement. Before unleashing work on some of the basic commands then take the leash off while she's interested in what you are doing. Only allow her to go so far from you at first and gradually allow her range to increase then call her back. In time she'll start to automatically come back. Never get frustrated and use the bad voice, it only makes it worse.

 

I always walk him first,he just loves playing catch/fetch with this ball.The problem is there is an insane amount of rabbits/chipmunks/squirrel/birds by where i live and even moths get his attention quick.If Tyson sees any of the above,he chases them and instantly quits fetching the ball.He then ignores my telling him to come back and seems to think my trying to get him is a game because as soon as i get close,he runs off in a different direction.This can go on for awhile as i get more and more pissed off because Tyson is incredibly quick/agile.It's getting to the point i don't like playing fetch with him,but he also will bolt out the door and pull this routine if someone comes in my patio door without making sure he doesn't get out.In the house though,he almost always listens to my commands.

 

Watch "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic. We had it recommended, because we have a cocker who is a bit high strung. He's done SOOOO much better because my wife and I have become the pack leaders and are not treating him like a person, but a dog. Great stuff!

 

Love that show and it's helped me in that i did get wrapped up early on by viewing the puppy as just cute and being afraid to hurt his feelings.That Ceaser guy is amazing in how quickly he fixes problems.

 

BTW,anyone go through their puppy chewing cords?Early on he chewed through a speaker wire,head shaver cord,and my daughter hair dryer cord.He hadn't done it for awhile,but i woke up today and had no sound on the TV.After the remote did nothing,i looked behind the TV and saw that he chewed through the cable.I yelled at him while holding the chewed cable,but he looked at me like if someone yelled at me in Chinese.Besides this being a hassle for me,i fear he'll hurt himself if this doesn't stop.

[1992casey]

Dogs' attention spans are pretty short when it comes to rule violations. You have to catch them in the act. One advantage to large dogs is that there's much less dog-proofing to do. They can't get behind as much stuff.

 

You have to sound downright mean, at least in the beginning, even if it bugs you. It's not like you're beating the guy up. Impress this upon your daughter. For serious infractions, it's absolutely fine to grab him by the scruff of the neck. That's what his mother would have done.

 

My friends have shock collars for their dogs. I have no personal experience with them, except to see them with these particular dogs, but they seem to work. The collar will beep, then shock. Or the shock function can be turned off entirely. The idea, of course, is to get them to respond to the beep. As far as safety/cruelty, my friends are pretty major animal lovers who donate to animal causes; I think if they saw an issue, they wouldn't be using them.

 

Along the same line as the shock collar are the invisible fence products. I've read up a bit on these. They work, but they have flaws. One is that you should be checking to see that the collar doesn't malfunction and burn the pet. Another is that if the pet somehow gets outside the 'fenced' area, he won't want to (or be able to) reenter.

 

When I started taking Casey to the dog park in Oak Creek, I noticed the whole area was surrounded by a cheap fencing product. I don't know what it's called, but it's like a heavy gauge rabbit wire. Snowfence posts should be fine to hold everything together.

 

If you're in an area where you can get away with fencing that looks like something you'd find on a farm, you could enclose a large area rather cheaply. I regret not knowing this when Casey first came around; where I live, I could easily have gotten away with this.

[Thurston Fluff]

This web site has a lot of stuff that has helped me. Some of it is free and online ready to view. He trains dogs for police work ect. and has a very good grasp of how dogs think. It is not your basic pet shop raise it to be human type of approach. He has a nice blend of both positive and negative reinforcment. I personally don't think soley positive or negative reinforcment works. I found him while surfing for ideas on how to deal with idiot dogs and their non-attentive owners at dog parks.

 

www.leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm

[Roscoe Chill]

I too have a 5 month old puppy (labradoodle) and the best advice about chewing when you're sleeping is to crate him...maybe get him a bigger one?

 

I give this advice, yet I haven't followed it lately, since it seems that Roscoe perks up for a play session every night when we go to bed, and the new crate we bought is too big to fit in our bedroom, and he won't sleep in another room. I've received the same advice from many people...ignore his barking/whining and sooner or later he'll accept it...easier said than done after it goes on for over an hour.

 

My solution now is we have a baby gate up in the hallway, so he can go in our room, his cage in the spare bedroom, or the bathroom (he likes cool floors) at night...so he's actually been good at night for a week or so.

 

He has chewed some speaker wire, but that's it as far as things inside the house (outside is a whole other story). He's a pretty mellow puppy. Our vet marvels at how good he is, and how lucky we are. But we do crate him whenever we leave the house, and like I said we limit his area at night.

 

 

EDIT: Danzig, while he's good, he doesn't listen at all either, and sometimes the only way to get him to come inside is ask if he wants a treat...amazing how little time it took for him to understand that word.

[backup catchers]

amazing how little time it took for him to understand that word.

 

doesn't that just aggrevate you to no end? It takes forever to get them to do what you want yet seemingly in minutes they learn something to their advantage. If I didn't love dogs I'd hate them.