Here I go again.......

[zoesmom]

So I've given my heart away again and Numero Uno has now joined our family. There'll be another one or two, in the coming weeks so she'll eventually have company, but I want to give her time to adjust and settle in to her new home before springing new siblings on her.

She's exploring her new digs as I type. She's a beautiful one-year old black and white border collie mix, about 45 lbs, who currently goes by the name of Taffy. (Yes, she's very sweet but the name is subject to change.) She rode well coming home in the car and already seemed to know the basic commands. Somebody gave her up in April because they already had four rescue dogs. The local rescue group's kennel has been her home since then and much as they're trying to do there for the many orphans, it is far from ideal for the dogs - especially in this ridiculous heat. So now she's got a comfy home with AC and lots of room to roam. Pictures to follow as soon as the camera recharges! Sue and Taffy ;)

[mytil]

WooHoo Sue,

I am so happy to hear this....oh, I cannot wait for the photos!!!!!

I cannot think of a better home for Taffy. I think the name is cute.

Please keep us posted.
T.

[gpgscott]

Sue,

Borders rock.

I really think you will like the breed, Talos is mostly either border or Aussie, either way they are great.

And yeah, Taffy is a bit pedestrian. They called Talos 'Popeye':rolleyes:

Can't wait to hear more.

Scott

[Roxee's Dad]

Welcome home Taffy :):D:):D

[Carol G]

Brought tears to my eyes -- I'm so happy for you! Can't wait for pictures.

Carol

[sunimist]

Awwww...Sue I am so glad to hear that Taffy has a forever home with two of the most loving parents I know. I know she is beautiful and absolutely loves her new home. I had a Border once and they are so loving and smart. Congratulations Mom and Dad!!
Can't wait for pictures!

Shelba and Suni

[zoesmom]

Well, her face is half black and half white, the line is right down the middle. So I've got some other possible names in mind. We had a sheltie when our kids were young and I absolutely LOVE the herding dogs. I'm already getting the impression that Taffy is smart. She is also a TV watcher, it seems.

Still have the black lab named Austin on my possibilities list. Especially since he's not in a foster home, but rather spends his days at a doggy day care center and then stays alone in a cage there at night. They say he's been a temporary resident there for WAY too long, so that moves him to the top of my list.

Britt (the older yellow lab that I liked), we met up with over the weekend. He's apparently in need of hip surgery and will still have arthritis, regardless. Poor guy was really bad off when they took hiim in. Skinny and possibly his mobility problems are from some untreated injuries. His foster mom has fattened him up good, but maybe too good for his legs. He's not off my list yet either, but his rescue group (Labrador Friends of the South) is plannning some big fund-raising with an eye to getting his surgery done. I am going to donate to his surgery but not quite ready to take on such huge bills at the moment, what with the move and all. Anyway, they have a vet who's willing to do his surgery for $3K - that's at a big discount. His foster home is a one level ranch and I am concerned about our stairs here. Will have to see how he does after the surgery.

Meantime, my plan is to focus on those who are in less than ideal circumstances. Like Taffy and Austin. Will be getting the fence up, probably next week. And then after a short trip to Alexandria to visit family in July, maybe I can take Austin. Hopefully, he'll still be available and will like Miss Taffy. Didn't want to adopt him and then leave him straight away at boarding or a petsitters. Taffy may be able to go with us, since she likes the car so much. Have several other orphans on my radar, so I'm sure by the end of the summer, there'll be more. Sue/Taffy

[mytil]

Oh I completely agree the herders have it...my Clancy and Mytilda (Australian Shepherds) were the smartest doggies I had ever had. It took only an afternoon to house train and they both learned so quickly I could not keep up, Mytilda always "asked me" for something new ---so we started herding lessons.:rolleyes:

Taffy sounds absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

T.

[Dollydog]

Just love this new thread!!! Welcome home to Taffy....somebody just hit the jackpot!!! ;) She sounds like she's going to be a lot of fun....and exercise :D
Also waiting for pictures...

[maggiebeagle]

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.

:D

[acushdogsmom]

Welcome to your new home, Taffy! You probably have no idea how lucky you are, but you just got yourself one of the best and most loving, wonderful homes in the entire world!

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Pictures, pictures, pictures please!

(can't help hoping that Austin will be joining your family very soon, too!)

[frijole]

Oh how exciting! Pictures please! Please give Taff a big hug. Congrats Sue. Kim

[AlisonandMia]

Wow - great news - for you and for Taffy and I'm sure she knows it too!:D:D:D

I don't think the name's too bad - border collies originated in Wales and Taffy is a welsh name - but maybe not a girl's name. "Zac" isn't the greatest name (there are a lot of canine Zacs hereabouts too) and certainly not the name I'd have chosen for him (especially as our son's name is Jack) - but he knew his name and the poor guy had lost so much in his short life already so we let him keep his name.

Now one word: Pictures!

Alison

[Harley PoMMom]

Congrats from me too!! I am just sooo happy for both of you! And like everyone else, want to see some pics!

Love and hugs,
Lori

[labblab]

Hooray from me, too (and I'm also really pulling for Austin...)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :)

Marianne

[ChristyA]

Congrats all around!!! Can't wait for pictures.
Christy

[BestBuddy]

Oh Sue,

I am so happy for you. A new dog to love with the hope of more to come, how exciting.

Jenny

[apollo6]

That is so great. We all want a picture.

[SasAndYunah]

Yehaaaaaaw....welcome Taffy :D And congrats Sue :) A Border Collie mix...how wonderful, like my Yunah ;) But quite a bit bigger by the sound of it. Wonder what else is in there..? :D And of course I wonder what she will be learning in the future :p But the most important thing is that Taffy has the most wonderful and loving home she could have ever wished for :) Wishing you a long and happy life together...

Hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Sue, I was thinking about something... With Taffy being half Border Collie you have to be carefull with several medications. My Yunah reacted badly and I had her tested for a defective MDR-1 (MDR = multiple drug resistance) gene and she inherited this defective gene from her Border Collie side. The good news is, with Border Collie only coming from one side, they cannot have 2 defective MDR-1 genes. But one defective gene is possible and still needs careful handling with medication. It was a while back but I think it cost me 98 (all-in) euro to run that test. They just take a bit of blood and sent it to a specialised lab. The MDR-1 gene is needed to make sure medications can't enter the brain, it causes a barrier so to speak. With a defective MDR-1 gene, the medication can enter the brain and cause all sorts of neurological problems. Yunah for example cannot tolerate any flea or tick prevention, they all make her drool, stumble, high heartrate and eventually fall over and loose consciensness. Also several anti biotics, painmeds and certain anaetshesia are off limits. So you can just "wait and see", have her treated as if she had that defective gene or actual test her. Just thought I would let you know :)

Big hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Thanks, Sas. I'll ask the new vet about that tomorrow. I know they've already had her on k9Advantix and Heartguard, with no apparent problems. So what DOES Yunah weigh? I figured that she was about Taffy's size (which I guess would be about 20 in kgs.)

We're going in for the 'requisite' adoption check-up tomorrow. Ah, the joys of breaking in a new vet. Should be fun!!! The little boo has had diarrhea since I brought her home, anyway. Pretty sure it's just the diet change and stress of going to a new home, but after a full day of boiled chicken, rice, and pumpkin, and even two imodiums, she still had it twice this morning. They were feeding her Iam's and the first night, I didn't want to leave her alone so I gave her a small amount of Zo's food (SG Holistique/srs. formula) . . .knowing full well that that would probably come back to bite me on the buttinsky. Plus she had a few more treats than I'd normally give a dog, just to make her feel welcome! :o She also grabbed a chip clip off the counter and managed to take a teeny piece out of it before I could fly across the room and stop her. Guess I'm out of practice with the youngun's. Haven't had a 1 yr. old "pup" for 12 years!!!! The chip clip came out the next morning, but the diarrhea has happened both in and out of the house!:eek: Poor little nipper! I gotta say tho - it's really strange not having to spend 15-20 minutes prepping all the pills to go with the food. Just food and water - what a breeze!:p

We've had a long hike by the river and she clipped right along, only stopping to pee once. (So different than the slow walks I was used to with Zo which involved lots of peeing, and incessant sniffing, and way too much stubborness about which way we ought to go.) Been to the dog park twice and she's already made some new friends, both human and canine. A real love bug, too. Comes close in for her hugs and enjoys bed snuggling in the early am. I didn't think she could make the jump into the bed (it's super high) 'cause she kept putting her front paws up on it and looking at me like "I need help". It was a total BLUFF. When I got up this am, she jumped right back into bed by herself!!! :rolleyes:

Got some pictures loaded up to the computer. Just need to downsize them now so I can put them up here for viewing. Maybe tonight. Sue

[gpgscott]

Sue,

There is an issue with herders and it has to do with worming issues.

I remeber it came up with Talos as we have had roundworm and there are certain meds that are routinely admined to most dogs but can be fatal to herders.

Can't remember the specfic issue at the moment, but hoping this information is usefull.

Scott

[frijole]

I know nothing about big dogs but just wanted to say yippeee. Have fun Sue. It would be unreal to just feed and water without all the pills. :D Love ya, Kim

[SasAndYunah]

Sue, sounds like Taffy is doing great, settling in :D Yunah is 45 cm's high and weighs 13 kilo's or 28/29 lbs, so she's quite a bit smaller I imagine :)

Good luck tomorrow with Taffy and the new vet ;)

Oh, there might be no more pills but at least you still have the poop patrol :p

Hugs,

Sas and Yunah :)

[Bichonluver3]

How terrific - for you and your new addition! I am so happy for you. I just wish I lived in a place where I could adopt a gadzillion rescues (my husband claims that 3 at one time are enough to care for:mad:) Please keep us updated. As you know, our journeys are full of ups and downs and we can use all the smiles we can get.:D
God bless and lots of love to you both!
Carrol & Chloe

[zoesmom]

OK, the pics are now posted in my album "Zoe's Friends and Family." Here's a link to make it easier for y'all. (Yep, pickin' up on the southern talk already.)

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/member.php?u=44

Asked the new vet what else she thought might be in the 'mix.' She said hmm, don't know . . . but it's possible she's all border. Her coat is shorter and smoother than you'd usually see but the vet says some do have coats like that. I got a sneakin' suspicion there'll be a DNA test in her/our future (Distant future) as curiosity always gets the best of me. She's not nearly as high energy as you'd expect a border collie to be tho'. I suppose that could always change as she gets adjusted to her new forever home.

[sunimist]

OMG Sue! She is beautiful! So happy already in her new home. Wish I could give her a big hug and a kiss on that pinkish nose!

[Harley PoMMom]

Awww Sue,

She is just so precious and I loved the captions under the pics too.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Dollydog]

She's just gorgeous Sue! And I love the captions too. :) Wish I could give her a big hug....you'll have to give her one from me too!
It's great fun just putting food and water in a bowl and placing it in the stand....I remember life being that carefree and easy! ;)
Jo-Ann & my Dollydog angel & Victoria :)

[addy]

She is so pretty and looks so much at home. The happiest day is when we bring a new fur baby home.

Wishing you countless walks, snuggles and licks!!!!

Addy

[apollo6]

What a beautiful dog, reminds me of phantom of the opera. Just beautiful.

[k9diabetes]

Aw.... gorgeous. Definitely a distant cousin to our boy Jack. Jack is a big border collie at 53 pounds. She sounds like she's more standard border collie size.

Are you thinking of having a DNA test done?

She looks like she has few enough things mixed in that it might be kind of fun to try it. I know they aren't necessarily accurate but we did it for fun as much as anything.

I need to go back and look and see if you changed her name or decided to stick with Taffy.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Aw! I see you are thinking of the DNA test.

Her shape and coat look almost exactly like Jack's. The half-white face, though, might suggest there is something else in the mix.

I put Jack's picture in my gallery.

We initially thought he was a mix and he was labeled that at the rescue, but the DNA came up only border collie and now having seen lots of pictures of smooth coated border collies, I believe he's probably 100%. The only reason I might think otherwise is because he's so big - tall and a good 10 pounds heavier.

Here, everybody gets all worked up about McNabs. And the shelters and rescues tell everyone with a short-haired border collie it's a McNab. Apparently being a plain border collie isn't good enough!

Since Jack was never a working dog, I doubt he's a McNab.

Natalie

[zoesmom]

Wow, Nat - they DO look very similar (except for the face markings.) Last night, I went online to look at standard markings and found a website that claims to have the most border collie pictures of any site online. They have them categorized by the many color variations and by markings. Guess Taffy would fall into the category of "Mismarked" Poor baby. :rolleyes::p:o;) Some of them don't look full border to me, but who knows. There really are so many variations in the breed. Maybe I can find the link again.

Here it is (called Collie Corner, appropriately enough! :D)

http://www.colliecorner.com/mm_a.htm

[BestBuddy]

Sue,

Love the new pics, she is beautiful and those face markings are just wonderful. I have to admit I had to google McNab because I hadn't heard of that particular breed so maybe they haven't made it across the water.

DNA testing a bit later will be fun.

Jen

[k9diabetes]

Does her black fur on her sides make little peaks that point toward her belly? That seems to be really consistent on smooth-coated border collies.

On this page, the smooth guy on the left looks just like Jack.

http://www.darnfar.com/FAQ/rough_vs_smooth_coat.htm

Natalie

[zoesmom]

I've never heard of McNabs either. :o Got somethin' new to Google next.

[k9diabetes]

I have cracked up ever since we got Jack. We too were told he was a McNab. Being drawn to border collies since getting Jack, I have talked to no less than half a dozen people who adopted border collies and were told they were McNabs. Whatever it takes to feel special and get the dog adopted I suppose! Just border collie was good enough for me.

We did meet one dog over in Visalia who I think truly was a McNab as he was a working dog in the Mendocino area. He was injured and couldn't work any more and the guy we met had adopted him from his rancher friend.

It seems like the face markings could be border collie so she might be 100%.

I never intended to wind up with a pure breed - was almost disappointed he wasn't a mutt! ;)

But if you spend much time on border collie sites, you realize they are very forceful about keeping this dog as a working line and NOT breeding for appearance, hence the considerable variety. A lot of folks are very upset that show standards were created as they feel the dogs' working skills will be destroyed.

Whatever she is, she's cute as can be. Jack sends his good wishes.

Natalie

[zoesmom]

That link was interesting, Natalie, about the differences in their coats. Taffy is definitely smooth coated and I'm glad as it says the smooth coats are so much easier to take care of. When I said her fur is shorter, I meant much shorter than I expected, compared to the rough coated collies that I was familiar with. But, it's still longer than Zoe's coat was. I've had a collie and a sheltie in the past and both had those thick, rough coats with dense undercoats that get matted so easily and require lots of brushing and tending. So THIS will be a nice doggy coat to deal with. Not too much different than Zo's, I hope. :) Sue

[zoesmom]

Does her black fur on her sides make little peaks that point toward her belly? That seems to be really consistent on smooth-coated border collies.
Natalie

Natalie - Just had a look-see. Do you mean the pattern of her black fur? 'Cause she does have a triangular sort of shape along the edge where it meets the white fur, pointing downward on each side. At first, I thought you meant that the fur stuck out in little peaks. Like tufts. Does Jack have that? And where did you learn about that . . . online? Sue

[k9diabetes]

Yup... every smooth coated border collie I've seen has one triangle on each side of the black fur that extends down into the white fur.

I didn't read it anywhere, just noticed it on pictures. Rick, who fostered the Aussie dog Lucy, then fostered a border collie mix and he had 'em too.

Maybe the rough coateds have them too and it's just not as obvious.

It's interesting to me how consistent that pattern is. They don't all look exactly alike but they all seem to have it.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Jack's stop a little short of meeting in the middle.

http://www.randomfierce.com/canines/jackspeaks.jpg

[zoesmom]

Interesting! Taffy's aren't nearly as pronounced - much smaller than Jack's. Will see if I can get a picture tomorrow. I also see that Jack has white legs and black foot pads. Taffy's pads are pink . . . really light. When we were walking this evening along the river - on the asphalt which was still in the sun - made me wonder if her little footsies will be more sensitive to hot surfaces. (And also if her pink nose might get sunburned.) I've never seen the pink pads before but maybe some white dogs have them? Anybody??? Sue

[Casey's Mom]

Love the dogs Sue!! Casey and Desi both have pink and black pads.

[Casey's Mom]

By the way Scott mentioned herders and wormers. Being a horse person and having a border collie cross I was always really careful using Ivermectin wormers as they can be fatal to collie types.

Just so you know,


Love and hugs,

[Roxee's Dad]

Sue,
I love the pictures...she is just so cool ;):):D

[AlisonandMia]

This is interesting re color patterning: http://abnormality.purpleflowers.net/genetics/white.htm

And maybe you should be on the lookout for deafness (can be unilateral so not particularly obvious) - seems that it can be a problem with dogs with a lot of white on them including some border collies: http://www.deafdogs.org/faq/#albino

I've seen several dogs with markings similar to Taffy's - and (from what I can recall) each one has either been a BC or has obviously had a lot of BC in its background. One I know looks to be a rat terrier BC mix.

You do need to worry about sunburn and skin cancer on the pink skin, unfortunately. There are doggy sunscreens available though.

Alison

PS: Heaps of pictures of split-faced BC's here: http://www.gis.net/~shepdog/BC_Museum/Permanent/BCColors_SplitFace/BC_ColorHalfWhite.html

[mytil]

Oh Sue, she is beautiful and sounds like she already knows what a great deal she has there.

I noticed also she has white eyelashes on one side....I think they call that "white face." (My Cyda is classified as a white face - she is a rescue girl - no border collie, but maybe heeler in her).

So she a pinknosed white face snuggle bunny....with loads of energy.

Have fun Sue
Terry.

[zoesmom]

Wow, I'm quickly becoming a 'student' of border collies, and genetics, AND more.

I knew that in albino dogs, deafness was an issue because when we had the gentamycin problem with Zo, I came across the white boxer website and most (or maybe it's all) of them are born deaf. Cooky's hearing seems fine (yes, a name change, 'cause she's much more like an oreo cookie than salt water taffy). She always comes running when called. Alison, according to that one link, it sounds like if there is any deafness, the chances would be higher for the ear on the whitest side (the side where her eye looks albino.) Apparently, it's connected to the pigmentation of the eardrum. Maybe I'll whisper in that ear when she's asleep....Or maybe the vet can just look at it and tell.:p

I had found that collie museum web-site showing the 'split-faced' markings. The www.colliecorner.com website that I mentioned earlier lumps that particular pattern under 'mis-marked.' :rolleyes: After looking at so many pictures, I'm starting to think maybe she is full BC. The only suspicious thing is her somewhat laid-back personality.

She's so sweet and obedient. Follows me everywhere. Loves her crate and goes in there all on her own - since day one. But clearly she's still got some maturing to do. We had the chip clip incident the first day and then yesterday morning, rather than whining for me when she woke up (at the usual 6:45 sharp), she decided to do a number on her crate pad. It had a zippered cover which was apparently 'good chewing'. About 1.5 inches of the zipper AND the zipper pull (all plastic) and a small amount of the fabric were missing. Waited thru two poops (last nite and this am) for something to come out and all I could feel (double-bagged and with rubber gloves on:eek:) was a few zipper teeth. So I just called the vet about an x-ray and they didn't seem concerned - based on her size and the fact that she's eating and drinking just fine. Said if it would put my mind at ease, they'd still do it. Decided to give it another day.

But other than the chewing thing, she's the best. Walks well on the leash with no pulling, stops to greet everyone, stalks the squirrels in BC fashion, has already learned a lot of words (her new name/bye-bye/park/drop it/treat/heel. (She already seemed to know sit, stay, come, and the ever-popular NO.) I'm gonna look up dog agility and/or fly ball classes today. There's a place called Atlanta Dogworks not far from us (well, 20 miles or so) that I think has those kinds of classes + a nice boarding facility (they also train dogs for movies/tv/etc).

So far, our long walks by the river seem to burn up enough of her energy that she comes home and flops down for a nap. Oops, now she's up and wanting to go out on the back deck. She loves lying with her nose poking thru the railing , so she can watch the wildlife and cars go by. Sue

Here's Atlanta Dogworks link. They have their own pack of Aussies and BC's (some adopted mixes) and a JRT thrown in for good measure. Among their classes: agility, frisbee, herding and dockdiving. Sounds fun!! (But probably pricey!)

http://www.atlantadogworks.com/boardingfront.htm

[Spiceysmum]

Hi Sue,

So pleased to hear about Cooky joining your family, she is lovely and sounds so well behaved!

Spicey is a collie cross and has always been very placid and well behaved but has always had the tendancy to chase anything that moves, only to play with it, of course. I have always thought that was the collie in her!

Wishing you many happy and healthy years together.

Linda and Spicey

[zoesmom]

Natalie - I'm posting a photo in my album (Z's Friends and Family), showing Cooky's side markings. Her black points/peaks are teeny little ones, compared to Jack's. Ever see any like that?? Sue

[k9diabetes]

Oh, her little spikes are adorable! :) I am somewhat fascinated that genetics can make little points on the side of all these dogs... it's so precise.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's "just" a border collie, just like Jack.

Back when we still went to dog parks, there was a female smooth coated border collie whose markings were only slightly different from Jack's... I think she had white all around her neck and more white on her face. Also here tail had some feathering; Jack has no feathering on his tail. And she was more petite like a typical BC whereas Jack is a big guy.

They spent some time chasing each other and on the run I couldn't tell them apart. Had to wait for them to stop before I knew which dog was ours.

You can't see them very well on Buddy, the dog Rick fostered... I think I had another picture of him.... I will load it into my album. He has very distinct ones, as well as something else in the mix I think.

http://photos.petfinder.com/fotos/CA891/CA891.14794428-2-pn.jpg

[k9diabetes]

Met the cutest dog this morning... Maggie. Total border collie markings, right down to the peaks on her side but tiny, with high arched paws, shortier glossier fur, and a nub of a tail, only 30 pounds. Her personality was total border collie.

My best guess is she's a Min Pin / Border Collie Mix. Her feet especially looked Min Pin and she's got a delicate small build.

"Grandma" took her out for some milk at Starbucks.

Natalie

[Franklin'sMum]

Sue,

Congrats on your new addition! :D:D She's gorgeous! About pink pads- I met Franklin when he was 3 weeks old, and out of the two boys in the litter, the breeder and I counted up the pink pads, but just to be sure we marked his tail with food colouring. When he was old enough to come home, he had no pink pads, all were black. Lucky for the food colouring :)

I've heard (can't remember where/who) that it has to do with where they spend their time, and walking. Bailey is tan/white, and has pink pads at 12 years old. So, I'm absolutely no help with the paw pads question, but wishing you both many happy years together :)

I love her new name, Cooky, and the oreo description :p
All the best,
Jane, Franklin and Bailey xxx

[zoesmom]

Wouldn't ya' think a dog who tries to eat everything she shouldn't, would gobble up a pepto bismol chewable? Yes, we're still having problems with mushy poop and full-on diarrhea :eek: - going on 10 or 11 days now. In spite of imodiums most every day, too. I guess it's back to the full chicken/rice/pumpkin diet, cause every time I think I can wean her off of it, back comes the problem. I even tried a tylan today, out of desperation. She has no parasites - vet checked that out already. And I think they did a giardia check, too, but will have to look at the bill. And she doesn't drink all that much water (but hey, I was used to the cushy dog Zoe), but I do worry about her getting dehydrated if this keeps up. Any other suggestions for this dilemma would be welcome! Sue

[k9diabetes]

Have you tried skipping food for a day or at least half a day to give her system a chance to rest and reboot?

I try to do that any time diarrhea shows up with dogs. Have to keep it short with cats but it tends to help them too.

She does well on the chicken/rice/pumpkin?

What food are you having problems with?

They put so much stuff into so many of these foods anymore - tons of opportunities for allergies or just plain upset.

If she gets better on the chicken/rice/pumpkin, you could try her on something like California Natural Chicken and Rice or some other limited ingredient diet. I know some of Natural Balance has been recalled and is made by Diamond but they do make a handful of limited ingredient diets that are just two main ingredients, like salmon and green peas, and vitamins and minerals.

Or just keep her on the chicken/rice/pumpkin longer - maybe she needs more time to reset and settle down and then you could introduce a food slowly in small amounts over a week or two or three.

Natalie

[zoesmom]

Thanks, Nat. She, of her own doing, skips a meal every now and then. Like yesterday morning, she ate nothing. I think she does better on the chicken/rice/pumpkin. It's hard to recall exactly, but the first couple days when I gave it to her, her stools improved but were still soft, with some mucus in them. Then she had maybe one or two almost normal, so I started adding the kibble back in.

I think they said she was getting Iam's at the shelter, so my plan was to slowly transition her from that to something better. But the problem is . . . . there are no real petstores nearby. So on the second day, I had my daughter drive up and bring food from Petsmart. She brought us a small bag of Iam's and something called Nature's Recipe (maybe a 3star food). Probably not what I would have picked but now I have a 15 lb. bag of it. Truth is, I haven't used much of it yet because of the flare-ups. I bought a bag of Cal Naturals for Zoe once and (we) liked it. Also, used Natural Balance's LID formula for her, off and on.. That's actually what I had suggested my daughter bring, but I guess she couldn't find it (my CA shopping was done at Petco. ) So I've been hoping to keep this poopy problem under control until I can get down to Petsmart myself this week (it's a 45 minute drive). But I'm planning to visit that Atlanta Dogworks Tuesday or Wednesday to check out their boarding facilities and to talk to them about their various training options. So that's when I'll be able to finally get to a decent petstore.

She gobbled up her chick/rice/pumpkin just now. So maybe I'll hold off on morning feeding and give her that again tomorrow night, and see how it goes. Poor baby - I feel so bad for her. Sue

[judymaggie]

Hi! Couple of thoughts -- agree with Natalie about stopping all food for a bit. Recommendation is usually 24 hours.

You might also try some Diarsanyl paste -- my vet had a great tip for administering it. Put the dose on a plain, i.e., not colored, popsicle stick and just scrap it off with the dog's top teeth. I got the plain sticks in Target in craft section.

Reminder re the California Naturals -- P & G has bought them out. If you're not a fan of P & G, then you might want to start Cooky on something else rather than have to switch again down the road. Abbie is currently eating the brand new California Naturals grain-free Lamb which she loves but am expecting to have to change at some point.

[zoesmom]

Judy - What is diarsanyl paste? That's a new one to me. Where do you get it? Sue

[k9diabetes]

Mucus makes me think colitis so probably a rest of 24 hours and a bland diet until things are fully back to normal would be a good approach. And then a slow transition to something else that's simple.

I think I would even cut out the pumpkin. It's got a lot of fiber and might be just too much fiber right now. I know some diabetic dogs have used pumpkin and had problems with it.

Not sure how she would do with dairy but Chris did extremely well with lowfat cottage cheese and we used that to bind the rice, which he wouldn't eat otherwise. His colitis diet was equal parts white rice, white meat chicken, and lowfat cottage cheese.

And he was put on a course of flagyl until it resolved.

Chris was allergic to some popular additions to premium foods, like barley, soy, and somewhat to eggs. And some odd fiber sources really did a number on him. So we used California Natural for quite a while to avoid those kinds of issues.

I've got a cat on the Natural Balance limited ingredient diet as well. Not sure it's helping... 8) But it doesn't seem to be hurting.

Natalie

[SasAndYunah]

Hi sue,

reading that Cooky still has diarrhea. I think it would be very wise to have the Giaria test done. But in order to have the best possible succes, collect samples from 3 different times she poo's :) Giardia isn't always visible so that's why you want 3 different samples, to increase the change of finding it in the stools.
Anything else unusual? Does she have to poo often and small bits for example? Does she strain when pooing? Does the first part come out more or less normal and then continues with mushy or diarrhea stools? Everything out of the normal, is worth mentioning to your vet because some of these symptoms can give great clues as to what causes it :)

How were her stools before she came to you? And also, giving anti diarrhea medications, is really not wise :) It prevents whatever it is that is causing the diarrhea, to come out, so to speak. It irritates the intestines even more and you don't want that to happen :)

Also, once you have the diarrhea under control, I would start adding some daily buttermilk or yoghurt to her diet. I always give my dogs daily buttermilk to help the balance in their intestines :) And to get her to eat again, without the risk of diarrhea occuring again, I would start with a hypo-allergenic and easy digestable food, that will be easiest on her intestines. Keep feeding that for a month or 2 till 3 and then slowly return her to the food of your choice. Hypo-allergenic foods have everything a dog needs, so it won't harm her to stay on it for a while.

Another option would be to start her on anti inflammatory meds in combination with a hypo-allergenic food for a while to calm her intestines down. Once her intestines have stabalized you slowly change to the food you would like her to be on...

But first, I would definately go for the Giardia test. The rest can be discussed with your vet :)

Best of luck,

Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Soooo, we've had two days of normal poopies!!! YAYYYYY! I was thinking we might need the expensive blood test for giardia, as I've read that the fecal test is not very reliable. (She had the fecal test and it was negative.) But the blood test is supposed to pick up a greater % of giardia cases but it costs big $$$$$$$$.

So in the meantime, I was reading on a border collie website and there was a thread which mentioned something called panacur, to help with diarrhea. Anybody ever heard of it.....or used it? It's apparently a dewormer which is pretty effective against giardia, which the others aren't. And it requires no prescription. Some vets will prescribe it - just in case there's undetected giardia. So if the 'runs' come back, I may just try that. Hoping we don't need to, tho', We're currently doing about half chicken and rice with a dollop of pumpkin and half kibble. Sue

[BestBuddy]

Panacur here in Aust. is a wormer that I have used for my horses and also cattle, never used it for dogs but it may just be that the dog version is called something else here.

Jenny

PS Congrats on achieving a good score on the Bristol Stool Chart.:D

[SasAndYunah]

I have been using Panacur as a dewormer eversince I first had a case of Giardia here :) It's a 3-day course and works well. I used it for Sogno, Panda but also Yunah. It's a dewormer though and not an anti diarrhea medication. It will resolve the diarrhea when it's caused by worms, including Giardia. :)

If I were you, I would still like to know if it is Giardia or not. Because, if it is, it is highly contageous and it will survive a long time. (for example, if Cooky has pooped in the backyard, and she does have Giardia, the Giardia can survive one till even many years in the environment) Also, if it is Giardia, you would need to sterilize everything in order to prevent her being contaminated again and again. This includes bedding, toys, brushes, food/waterbowls, floors etc. When you had her poo examined, did you collect at least 3 different stool samples? That's what they do here....they ask you to collect at least 3 different samples, preferably even 5, in order to increase the chance of actually finding the Giardia. It will still take one test because you can collect all the different samples in one box :) I remember with Sogno that I had a stoolsample examined for all kinds of internal parasites (just the one sample) and the vet couldn't find anything. She told me to bring 3 till 5 samples so she could check for Giardia again and bingo, he was found positive. Then with Panda, I right away collected 3 till 5 different samples and brought them in for examination and again, bingo, Giarda was found.

Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

When you had her poo examined, did you collect at least 3 different stool samples? That's what they do here....they ask you to collect at least 3 different samples, preferably even 5, in order to increase the chance of actually finding the Giardia. It will still take one test because you can collect all the different samples in one box :)
Sas and Yunah :)

Sas - no, they tested just one sample which they collected at our office visit. And that's what I read, too . . . that one sample may not be enough and to combine 3 or more. I have a feeling the problem was just the stress of going to a new home combined with diet change, but if the problem comes back, I will take in 3 samples to be checked and see what turns up. It sounds like the panacur is a good thing to try if giardia is suspected but if tests keep coming back negative - because it's the only dewormer that works against giardia. Thanks! Sue

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Sue,

how's Cooky doing? And how are her stools? Still improved? Just curious.. :)
Got her hooked on puzzles yet? :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

The poop is much better, Sas. Thanks (I think) for asking. She's weaned off of the chicken and rice completely and I finally found a feed store about 15 miles from here that carries some of the premium dog foods. Haven't had a chance to order puzzles yet, but am going to.

Meantime, Cooky's become obsessed with her new ball and Zoe's Mr. Squirrelly toy. She could have demolished the latter in 2 minutes if I'd let her, but I have a sentimental attachment to it, so I took it away and only allow limited/supervised play. Still, she knows where it's stashed. Call me crazy but I just couldn't bear to see Mr. Squirrelly torn apart. Zo would carry him in and out of the house with her, and keep it close to herself - it was one of the few toys that she was ever attached to in life. Besides, Cooky gets to stalk the real live squirrels at the river trail. Constantly scanning for them on our walks and when she spots one, she goes into that border collie focus/crouch/stalk thing and nothing will distract her if she's got one in her sights. I'm thinking when the weather cools off here in Sept., I may sign her up for a beginners' agility class. Meantime, we are working on learning things here around the house. :) Sue

[Bichonluver3]

YAAAAAYYY, Cooky! Way to poop!! So glad things are looking better. We don't have squirrels but we have jackalopes (tiny desert rabbits). Even though bichons and maltipoos are not huinters and stalkers:rolleyes:, they do zone in on those bunnies!
Keep up the good work!
Love & tail wags
Carrol & Chloe

[SasAndYunah]

Yippie, so good to hear the poop is so much better :D

And no, not calling you crazy :) I still have toys that belonged to Boncuk and Sogno, both their fav pluche toy :) Not letting anyone play with them, not even Yunah eventhough she doesn't destroy a thing... Those are their toys, not to be played with by anyone else :)

About the "obessesiveness"...try and keep it in line. It's of course a typical Border Collie trade but some Borders will "obsess" over everything and anything or will try to "herd" everything and anything :) My own Yunah is terribly obessive with balls. So you won't find a single ball in the house :D If there was, she would be interested in the ball only and forget everything else. But she knows that once a day, we go out and play with her ball. Even on busy, hectic days, I could easily skip everything else (including her dinner) but I cannot skip her balltime, she needs to have that daily balltime ;)

Perhaps it's a thought to bring a ball on your walks. If Cooky gets too focussed on anything else during the walk, use the ball to distract her. Using one obsession to stop another :) If they're becomming soooo obsessed/focussed on things during walks that you can't get through to them, that's potential dangerous. Eyeing some squirrels, okay...but when you call her name, she should look up at you and you should have her attention....and the ball may just help to accomplish this :)

It's a "misunderstanding" that BC's just "do this". A wel trained BC will not herd or obsess over anything when it's not supposed to. He will do it when it's needed...and that would be while herding sheep. If a working BC would stare at or focus on anything else but the sheep, it would be a lousy herding dog. If that same BC would stare at or obsess over familymembers or toys or cars or whatever, the owner would not allow it, it would be inappropriate behaviour in that situation and moment. Of course they are BC's and have the need for certain behaviour so that's why Yunah for example gets her daily balltime, that's her outlet for her BC behaviour. But it is controled. Controled in amount, in time and in when. Still fulfilling her needs but not letting it go out of control...

(In general, raising dogs is an "activity"...not a passive thing. It means that even during walks, you should not just let them do their thing. Of course it also depends on the dog... But if you want to prevent certain behaviour, you have to be actively involved at all times :) Like people that let their dog in the yard for example...and then they complain the dog barks at everyone passing. And if you ask them "did you learn the dog how to behave when he is out in the yard?" people look at you as if you are crazy :D You can't expect a dog to behave the right way if you don't teach it what the right way is... that is what I mean by "raising dogs is an activity ;) )

Can't wait for you to start agility (or anything else) with Cooky, I am guessing you two will have a ball and soon become the stars of the class :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

How are you and Cooky doing these days...? :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Cooky (and I) are doing good, Sas. Thanks. She spent 6 days at a fun doggy kennel when my daughter and I drove up to DC last week. She got to swim in their pool and who knows what else. I was afraid she'd forget me, but she was really tickled when I picked her up. Since I got her back home, though, her appetite is a bit off again, but she usually eats all her food by evening. She's had a couple soft stools too, but not really diarrhea at least. Otherwise, she's back to her routine and enjoying it. She's such a sweet girl. Everybody that meets her loves her. Hoping we can maybe to take a beginners' agility class this fall.

I've been working on teaching her to put trash in the wastebasket. We were using a couple of toilet tissue cardboards (from the center.) After about 15 minutes of working on that, we stopped and I went into the kitchen. Next thing I know,, she'd retrieved the cardboard cylinder from the wastebasket and dropped it at my feet in the kitchen, thinking - I guess - that that would get her more treats. Silly dog! :p

Just a side note .. . . On the rabies vaccination controversy, signs recently went up in the neighborhood that rabid raccoons have been captured here (it's a nature reserve area with forest rangers keeping an eye on the wildlife). Quickly changed my whole thinking on that issue. In our case, I think it will be prudent to get the vaccination when required. So now we have crazy mama bears going after dogs, rabid raccoons, fearless deer everywhere . . . and oh, a pile of snake eggs at the base of my lone tomato plant! I think the tomatoes might be staying on the vine for awhile. Ah, life in the country! Sue

[sunimist]

Wow Sue, you've really got it going on in your neighborhood! I think I could handle most of it, but not the snake eggs. Moma got 'a be somewhere close and I am literally terrified of snakes! Be careful way out there in the country!

Cooky sounds so adorable and I hope you find the cause of the "off" appetite and soft stools so she will be back to 100%.

(((Hugs)))

Shelba and Suni~~

[frijole]

Was just thinking of you guys last night and wondering what was up... glad you are doing fine in your new home. Puppy doing better too? Hugs, Kim

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Sue,

I am thrilled to read about Cooky learning to put trash in the wastebasket :D She is one smart Cooky ;) And agility should be so much fun as well!

Can I give you some hints on how to train certain things..? :) Things have to be trained in a certain order to prevent the dog from becoming confused :) So I am not sure what Cooky already knows but I will pretend she knows nothing yet, just to explain, okay? :)

When you want a dog to learn how to put an item in to something (toys in a drawer, trash in the wastebasket, groceries in a bag for example) you first have to make sure she fully understands a few other commands first. The first command of course would be to "fetch" (go and get a certain item). The next would be "bring it to me" (the dog has to bring you the desired item). Followed by "give it to me" (the dog has to place the item in your hand). These commands combined will make for the standard "apport.... (fill in the item)" command (the dog will go and get the item you want, bring it to you and place it in your hand)

Once all these different "actions" are well understood and the dog is capable of performing them flawlessly, it's time to move to the next step. In this case the next step would be to teach the dog to put a certain item into something. For this you'll have to teach the dog the "drop it" command. Once the dog knows the "drop it" command, you can take it a step further and learn the dog to "drop it" above a drawer, a cardboard box, etc. But something that is "open" on the top. Once the dog knows how to drop an item in to a cardboard box for example, you attach the "put it in" command to that action. (of course you can use whatever words you choose for the commands, just make sure they don't sound too much alike)

As you can see, the key is to break the action down into several steps and then teach those steps individually first and then when the dog fully comprehends the individual steps, they can be combined into one :)

Another example, imagine you want to teach Cooky how to close a drawer or a kitchen cabinet door. The way to do it is to think and try and figure out wich seperate steps are needed for such an action. In this case what is needed first is for the dog to touch the object with it's nose and secondly, to push against that object with the nose. (do you see how you have to break the entire action into several pieces...?) For us, it seems like it is one action...but if you break it down, you see there are actually 2 seperate steps needed to perform the entire action :)

That's basically the key to training dogs, figure out how many steps are needed to perform an entire action and teach those individual steps, one by one, first. Not that difficult once you know this, right? :D

And boy am I glad that the countryside where I live is nothing like the countryside you live :eek: The worst we could encouter here is a crazy mama duck and some blackbird eggs :p

All our best,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Sas - thanks for the good tips. I tend to get ahead of the game as I may have in this case. But she will fetch some things (basically, toys) and understands the command to 'come' and to 'drop it.' It's kinda hit or miss with putting them in my hand - depending on if my hand is ready and waiting!! :p After having an old, trained dog who understood not everything but alot, I tend to forget that what Zoe knew, she didn't learn overnight. Patience and consistency required!! Cooky's very treat-driven, so that helps. :rolleyes: L:rolleyes: Luv the new videos you posted of Yunah. One of them didn't open for me, though. Think it was the longest one. Sue

[k9diabetes]

Something that's fun to do with a dog who likes to learn is free-shaping. Jack's behaviorist has a great video of her teaching her cattle dog to put her feet into a box.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperBark1#p/u/3/L0XuafyPwkg

Now admittedly, her cattle dog knew it was training time but Jack, who has had far less training in "being trained," does great with free shaping. We taught him within about 10 minutes to put both of his front feet into a box using this technique. Started with just putting his face in the box when we threw a treat in and successively adjusted what we rewarded.

We can almost show Jack what we want him to do with some things, especially dance moves.

We recently taught him to do a karate kick with his back leg. Sophia suggested we start with rewarding him for walking onto something large. Went from there to his back feet only on a pillow (lured with a treat to walk across and leave his back feet on it). Then one back foot only on the pillow, luring with a treat to step away from it and rewarding when he left one foot on. Finally we switched to a tall box so he had to lift up his foot to try to do the one-foot command. Voila - kicking the box with a back leg karate kick!

I'm always amazed at Jack's ability to recognize what's being rewarded - "back feet only on the pillow" is kind of a nebulous concept! And working with his back feet isn't natural to him like the front ones are.

One thing Sophia did in her class was have people train each other using free-shaping. Gives you a sense of how difficult it is to know what was rewarded.

With the karate kick, we free shaped each step along the way and then named it. So started with back feet on the pillow - "hiney up!" Then one foot only on the pillow - "one foot." And then "kick it" for the karate kick.

Natalie

[SasAndYunah]

I just saw the video Nathalie, and that's exactly how clicker training works. Isn't it just wonderful? :) You let the dog figure out what it is you want him/her to do and reward the behaviour you want. Unfortunately, clickertraining, is often used the wrong way. People ask the dog to sit, and when it does, they "click". But that is not clickertraining, that's "training with a clicker" ;) My Yunah was clickertrained and loved it. But you need reasonably confident dogs (in general). The less confident ones can become even more insecure when they can't figure out (quickly enough) what it is that is expected of them. But it is soooo much fun and absolutely my favorite way :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[AlisonandMia]

Zac is a dog who can get a bit stressed out with free shaping - especially early on when he was young and daft(er) and hadn't had so much experience with learning. How distressed he was I don't know - hard to tell distress from excitement sometimes and I think it was a bit of both.

My birds are much, much easier to free shape - they really don't give a hoot as to whether they are pleasing me as such, they are simply out to please themselves (get that seed!) so stay totally cool and calm. As soon as they know I've got the clicker they will fly down for a session - the love it and would go on and on for hours as they are made to spend long periods foraging and socializing which is what clicker training is to them. I'll be mentally exhausted and they'll still be going strong and wanting more, more, more. Very different from a dog. (They love to do a retrieve with a ball and to target - I haven't really done much with them.)

I've also used clicker training to teach the kids how to iron their clothes properly. Definitely the fastest, easiest and funnest way to teach that sort of physical skill - only took a couple of five or ten minutes "lessons" and I never had to say "No" once.;):D

I also taught some of our fish to "color up" to get fed so we always had a lovely display going on in the fish tank when we walked past. And the fish were the fastest learners of all - go figure!

Here's a link to a clicker trained goldfish. (You can't use a clicker with fish though - you use a light as the signal instead). It's an advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF4FPi4XZcA (Apparently it didn't take six months at all - the real life fish was trained much faster than that.:D)

[Carol G]

Natalie,

I'm super impressed that Dr. Yin is your behavorist.

Carol

[k9diabetes]

She happens to be close by, which was lucky for us.

I love that Alison trained her kids with a clicker! ;)

We usually just use a voice cue - "Good!" and "Yes!"

Natalie

[AlisonandMia]

I tend to use the clicker to teach something new but revert to an emphatic "good" once Zac knows what is what. If I want to sharpen up a behavior and increase his motivation with regards something I might go back to the clicker briefly occasionally. He seems to love it when I do that.

Alison

[k9diabetes]

In three weeks I'm going to audit a Nose Work class so we can work Jack on that. He could do the class but it's 7 hours long and a lot of crating in between and I think he'd be frustrated by that. I am sure I can work with him once I watch it.

Between his back and behavior problems, he needs something more like Nose Work than Agility or Flyball.

Natalie

[zoesmom]

Update: Well, the Nina O. puzzles have arrived. Thanks for the suggestions, Sas. Cookster absolutely loves them and would play them all day, but that would demand way too many treats!! Took her smart self about 15 seconds to figure them both out (got both DogSmart and the Dog Brick). Might have to move on to something more challenging in the future. But for now, good entertainment since it's pretty much tooo HOT to take those long, energy-burning walks. The outdoor doggy area is finished and now available for Cooky's use and perusal. The yard - not so much yet. It's still a muddy bog, of fledgling grass. But fenced and eventually will be a terrific frisbee field. We've had a sneaky little visitor lately. Looks like maybe a small JRT, who can weasle his way under our new fence. Have spotted him in and out of our fenced area. I've called out to him, but he makes a quick getaway and disappears into the woods. I just wanted to make sure he isn't a wandering or lost soul. I can see that he does have a collar, so some stpid dog owner might just be letting him run loose. (That, in itself, is a bad idea in this particular area.)

Meanwhile, we have never heard back from the agility place (A Dog's Place in Canton, GA) which is kinda irritating. What??!! - you're too busy competing to respond to potential clients!!!!!!! They claim that they and their dogs have all sorts of national titles under their belt but who cares if you can't answer a simple e-mail about classes.

Cooky continues to make new friends on her river walks. Today, a beautiful . 125 lb. Great Pyrenees named Xena. They both wanted to play but, of course, mucho impossible on leashes. Gotta get this girl into some kind of FUN activity, for sure. She is really pretty mellow at home, tho' . . . for a BC. Just every now and then, she'll suddenly go berserk - wanting to charge around the house, chasing her toys, slipping and sliding and crashing into everything in sight. But then she calms right down again.

Still planning on getting her at least one 'sibling' - once our big family get-together is behind us. All 4 kids (plus 2 of their spouses), 10 gr'kids, and the good doggies, Dixie and Libby, are coming in mid-August. First time we've all been together in almost a decade. I'm sure Cooky will totally LUV her new extended family! :rolleyes::p:eek:Sue

[SasAndYunah]

Ha! You now know too what it is like to have a smart one around :D I'm so happy to learn that she enjoys them so much. You could also just teach her tricks instead of buying her new puzzles... How about, ringing the bell when she needs to go out? :p Or a couple of things that will "help" you, like, teaching her to find your keys or to get your mail? There are so many fun things to do together :) I hope you can find a nice dogschool that will answer you back that can help with some sort of fun doggy activity. And more then likely she will enjoy a new sibling lots and lots, hehehe...make sure the house is "crash" proof by that time :D

But first, enjoy the big family get-together, have loads of fun!

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Sue,

I just heard about a new sport for dogs and wanted to share it with you...with your smart Cooky in mind and her being a BC :D It's called "treibball" (it originated in Germany)...wich if I had to translate it into English would be something like "herdball". The quick version: dogs need to "herd" 8 large balls (like the yogaballs, approx 65 cm in diameter) into a "goal". Seems a bit like doggy snooker :D

I tried it today with Yunah...well, the basics of course, pushing a large ball with her nose into my direction :eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ixCWkj_R7U

If you want to see what it should look like eventually:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfCDKPKfQHU

As you can see, it's like herding sheep. You have to direct the dog, left, right, behind, etc. Especially for the herding breeds, this looks like a lot of fun and something one can do in the backyard (if you have some backyard) :)

It's easy to start. Place a ball someplace, put a treat underneath the ball and the dog will almost automatically push the ball aside to get to the treat :D Another big plus (I think) is that it is relatively "harmless" on the legs, less chance of injuries, ruptered ligaments and stuff as with for example flyball and agility. Could also be played by older dogs. If you don't compete, speed is not of the essence at all... It's just about having a good time together, being active and outdoors :) Very important to create a strong, healthy bond between owner and dog...such activities.

Anyway, I don't know if it appeals to you or not but just wanted to share this possibility :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Checked out the videos and several others on the 'treib-balling' and that looks like a lot of fun, Sas. Didn't see a single one, tho', from here in the States. But a few big bouncy balls should get her started and then I imagine soon, the sport will work its way across the big pond! She loves balls and will toss them herself and chase and also push them around. Right now she's exhausted from the big family get-together, but she rebounds quickly. Ten kids and three doggies goin' wild for five whole days!! Needless to say, I'm exhausted too! And I'm no puppy, thats for sure. :rolleyes:;):p Now, if I could just teach her to fold and put away some of these many sheets, all would be great. Sue

[zoesmom]

Finally, the book revisions are done and off to the publisher - again. So having more time now, I was starting to think about a new frisky 'playmate' for Cooky. And then.....a 14 year old lab mix kinda dropped into the picture.

Our daughter has some neighbors who need to find her a home, fast. May be temporary but if not, it will probably be permanent. They were crushed, thinking that they were going to have to put her down next Thursday, because they are in a bind and had nobody to take her. But the dog is healthy for her age. Apparently, the husband - a helicopter pilot - lost his job and then suddenly got an offer in Florida. So they are leaving next week and their place in FL won't allow dogs. Once they get settled, the mom is going to 'work' on that but if the landlord won't bend, then I guess Frisbee might be staying with us permanently. We are going to visit her this weekend and I'm guessing she'll probably come home with us then.

Of course, '14' isn't going to keep up with Cooky's young '1' energy. So I imagine there'll be yet another dog joining us in the next couple of months. Cooky's doing great and learning lots of cute tricks through clicker training. AND, she starts agility on March 3. But have been missing the Zo a lot lately, knowing that her birthday is coming up fast, followed by that very sad first anniversary of saying good-bye to her. I can't even think about it. :( Sue

[Carol G]

God bless you Sue for taking the senior lab. Not only for the dog but also for the family.

The anniversaries are difficult. Just had Winnie's two year. I'll be thinking of you.

[SasAndYunah]

Oh Sue, you are absolutely the best! For helping out that family and their elderly Lab...:)

And those anniversaries can be tough, I understand. Will be thinking of you and dear Zoe...:)

By the way, eventhough I did read you will start agility soon...there is an American Treibball Assiocation (http://americantreibballassociation.org/Home.html) just in case you're interested :)

Hugs and love,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Thanks Carol and Sas -

Actually, I spoke with Frisbee's mom last night and she's even smaller than Cooky. (Cooky's about 50 lbs and Frisbee, maybe 35.)A very small lab mix, I guess. But that works fine for us. Going to see her tomorrow. I think they'll be crying, having to say good-bye and I know that will set me off, too. They have a six-year old son who they have to tell the sad news to, today.

Sas, I bought Cooky some big play balls after you told me about treibball. They were just cheap ones for kids and I didn't think Cooky could get her teeth into them because of their size. But she kept trying to pick them up. After popping about 5 or 6, I gave up. Not that we wouldn't give treibball a try someday. But we're out in the boonies now and there are actually 3 places which are all about an hour away from us that offer a wide variety of dog classes: agility, flyball, herding, luring, dock-diving, therapy-dog training, and the basic stuff. But none offer treibball . . . . yet, anyway. So thought we'd try agility first, then flyball, maybe even herding. We went down to the one called 'thecanineranch' for a couple of private lessons and the instructor for that is the one who teaches herding. He has 7 BC's and 2 JRT's. I actually asked how many of his 'herding students' have their own sheep herds and he said 'none.' :p:p:p He also says that Cooky's 100% a BC. I think he's right. So many people don't realize that they come smooth-coated. People ask me all the time what she is. I was looking on a BC board today and many with smooth-coated BC's apparently get the same question. Anyway, the plan is to try several different things and see what the Cookster likes best. :rolleyes: Sue

[zoesmom]

So.....Frisbee came home with us today. She's a sweet 14 year old girl with an old white face like Zoe had. Slightly taller than Cooky but a little on the thin side. Maybe 40-45 lbs? Her mom says she's not a big eater. Looks like a lean yellow lab with possibly some hound in her. Will take some pics tomorrow and upload. She's a bit arthritic but she does the stairs, slowly. And has some wheezing if she does too much. But guess that would be normal in a dog her age?

It was so sad, taking her away from her home and family. I cried half the way home because I know that she's confused about what's happening. :( And because I know how I'd feel if I had had to rehome Zoe at that age. Now she's standing at the door, looking out, like .... ok, I'm ready to go home now:( I felt like I was kidnapping her but her mommy was so grateful. They rescued her when she was young and have had her all these years. Cooky was fine when they met at my daughter's house but is acting a little jealous (guarding her toys) now that we're back home. Straightened her out on that right away and I think all will be fine with lots of extra love for both of them. Sue

[addy]

Oh Sue,

I think I would be crying too, the poor puppy, how sad we can't tell them what is happening and what a wonderful home she has now, be it temporary or permanent. How wonderful of you to take her in.

Give her lots of hugs and kisses from me. I know under your gentle, loving care, she will adjust just fine.

Hugs,
Addy

[Casey's Mom]

Sue that is wonderful - Frisbee is a lucky dog to have you. How sad for the family but I am sure they are so grateful.

Love and hugs,

[zoesmom]

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=52

Here's a link to pics of our new 'old' foster baby, Frisbee.

Sue

[addy]

She is beautiful. Frisbee looks like a youngster:D

What a sweet, pretty face. Ohhhhhhhh, don't you love it?:D:D:D:D

Welcome Frisbee

Hugs,
Addy

[SachiMom]

Sue,

She is beautiful. Such wise eyes. She looks sad and confused right now, but she still feels your love. And thank you for helping her.

And just in case someone hasn't told you lately . . . you are some kind of wonderful. Zoe is so proud of her momma.

Love & Hugs
~Mary Ann

[zoesmom]

Me and the double posts. Guess I'll delete this one. Sue

[zoesmom]

Took our new foster baby to the vets yesterday. She got a much-overdue nail trim and a heartworm test. It was negative. :D Have started switching her to Zoe's old food (have kept it in freezer all this time) and got the go ahead to start using Zoe's meloxicam and tramadol for her arthritis.

But with no heartworm, how to explain her labored breathing and coughing. I was hoping maybe it was just old age. But then the vet found a 1 cm tumor inside her upper lip. Vet says oral tumors can be aggressive and will often spread to the lungs. She listened to both her lungs for a long time and couldn't detect a difference from one to the other. She also listened in her throat area, thinking maybe it was due to laryngeal paralysis (think that's what she said.) Again, vet couldn't say for sure. I'm afraid it might be from metastasis of the lip tumor to the lungs. Any exertion sets off the horrible breathing sounds. At her age, and with her owner's situation, I said we'd probably do nothing further - diagnostic or treatment-wise. But now I'm worried and wondering. If it is from lung tumors, how will it progress and what would I be watching for as an indication that it's causing her pain and suffering. Her mommy said the heavy breathing started late last summer. Anybody ever had any experience with lung tumors in their dog? They told me to watch for bleeding from the mouth tumor, but I feel like the respiratory problems are a bigger issue.

She still eats, but not a big appetite... although that HAS improved in the 3 days she's been with us. And she still jumps onto the sofa, into the back of our Zo-baru (even went over the seat to join Cooky in the middle when we got home). And this a.m. she actually had a couple of short bursts of running in our yard and woods. She's interested in and attentive to what's going on around her.

But I wish I knew what to expect and how long she might have a decent quality of life, if it is lung tumors. Maybe the only way to know is via an x-ray. I would probably pay for that if it comes down to knowing what we need to do. The owners (well, the husband) was out of work for a year and they lost their house to foreclosure, so I know that they can't afford to cover any big medical costs. And with her advanced age, any major, invasive procedures would be out of the question anyway. She's such a good girl but now when I look at her, it makes me so sad, wondering how long she has. Any thoughts or advice. Her breathing is really distressing to hear. The only time it's less noticeable is when she's sleeping or resting and even then, sometimes it's raspy/wheezy. Any thoughts/comments/been theres? Sue

[k9diabetes]

Chris had some minor laryngeal paralysis for a number of years but never enough to cause him serious problems.

When he was diagnosed with cancer about three weeks before he passed away, it was based on tumors found in the lungs that were assumed to have spread from somewhere else - though we did not know where. He had about a year prior had a cardiac and abdominal ultrasound with no obvious signs of cancer but had been very frail so we always figured something was wrong and just didn't know what.

More importantly, perhaps, during his last year or two, he had a tendency to cough and when it started there wasn't any obvious cancer in his lungs. What he did have was a rather bad case of "old dog lungs" - a noninfectious inflammation bronchitis and I think there was some scar tissue built up. It is something that is visible on x-ray.

When he coughed very much, we gave him Lasix.

He couldn't have very much of it or very often because it sent his kidney values upward. But we used it sort of "as needed" and it definitely helped his breathing and coughing. I don't know that the vet knew for sure why it was working but figured whatever worked for him was good.

We tried a bronchodilator but he didn't tolerate it well, which was true for a lot of meds with him. So we stuck with the lasix. I seem to recall reading or being told that horses are given Lasix for some kind of lung problem. We just figured that it kind of dried things out enough that he didn't get any fluid in his lungs.

If it was me, I'd spring for an x-ray just to find out what I was dealing with. There's always a chance it will be relatively good news and then you could worry less.

Natalie

[SasAndYunah]

The poor girl... I agree with Natalie and would go for an x-ray, just to find out what's going on. That might also give a better clue as to how to "treat" as far as symptom relief goes.

All our best,

Sas en Yunah :)

[Wolfpak]

Ok, xray will show if heart is enlarged.... at her age cardiomyopathy - congestive heart failure is common. It's easy to treat for a while, if not severe with Lasix, then there are stronger drugs that buy some quality time.

How stressful for dear Frisbee, you're a dear for welcoming her into your home. She sounds like a sweetheart.
We just want whatever time they have to be spent feeling loved, content, and pain-free regardless of age! None of us ever get any guarantees....
I try to enjoy today, while its here, and not lose the NOW, because of what tomorrow may bring.

[AlisonandMia]

I think a chest X-ray would be an excellent investment - in Frisbee's wellbeing and your sanity. I think at least getting some idea of what you may be dealing with is important. Better than finding one Sunday night that you really, really must know what is happening with her.

At least two-thirds of the time it is "out of hours". So much easier, cheaper and less stressful to do these things "in hours".

That's my two cents!

Alison

[zoesmom]

Thanks, everyone. I think you're right. A chest x-ray makes sense. The vet said her heart actually sounded good, so if there's a problem, it's most likely in her lungs. Maybe it'll just be something age-related, like Nathalie mentioned that Chris had. For the laryngeal paralysis, the diagnostics were more complicated - tube or something down throat, anaesthesia required, etc. But for an x-ray, they wouldn't have to put her under, I'm assuming. Her mouth was actually bleeding last night while she was mouthing a tennis ball, but it looked like maybe she'd bitten her other lip and it was not coming from the tumor. Sue

[lulusmom]

Hi Sue,

Have I told you how nice it is to have you back yet? If not, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE AGAIN! I can't tell you how glad I am that you're Frisbee's lucky charm. I don't believe she would have stood a chance with anybody else. You rock!!!!

[zoesmom]

Thanks, Glynda. That's because I finally finished revising my book and sent it off to publisher last week. Now it's time to move on to all those projects that I've been putting off the last few years. Also time to get caught up on things here and to adopt more dogs! With Frisbee here now, I thought I'd give her a few weeks to settle in, and then after 'babysitting' my daughter's two dogs - Dixie and Libby - during the first week in April, it will be time to add another one to our little pack.

Have my eye on several rescue pups here in the area. Want one that's about 3 - 5 years old, so Cooky will have a playmate who's young enough to run and frolic witih her. She starts agility next week, and not a moment too soon. It's been a long, hard, boring and inactive winter around here and she needs to lose about 7-10 pounds of winter weight. Doesn't help that she is so darn food-obsessed. Quite a switch from Zoe who never ever had a weight problem - even with her cushings (well, except that once, right after starting on thedarn bromide for her seizures!)

I've got her down to only 1.5 c. per day - for over a month now - and still no weight loss. More activity needed, I'm sure, so very happy that the weather is improving here. She tries to get Frisky to play but it's not a good match. (We've been calling Frisbee Frisky, to avoid confusion with Cooky's 'frisbees'. :rolleyes::p ) Don't think Frisbee hears that well, though, so it probably doesn't matter what we call her. Sue

[lulusmom]

Congratulation on finishing your book! I hope to see your name on the NY Best Seller's List real soon. Just remember that I want an autographed copy....pretty please. :D

I sure wish we were a few thousand miles closer to each other. I could pull a beautiful lab or lab mix on just about any day of the week for you. My brother and sister in law just lost their great big bear of an Australian Shepherd to Lymphoma and when they're ready for another, it will be a Lab. They lost their last Lab about five years ago, also to cancer. :(

G.