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specklesmama
07-12-2009, 03:01 PM
Hello everyone. It has been a very busy summer and I have yet to see the end of the tunnel. ;)

Anyway, we continue to miss Speckles, but did adopt a dachsund through the Central Texas Dachsund rescue. We cannot seem to get away from Doxies!

We named her "Toode" because she has one! Her full name is "Her royal highness, Queen of Attitude". Anyway, she has provided us with a lot of joy. She is not quite yet a year old, and we were'nt quite bargaining for a puppy, but she did need a home.

We have been working through typical puppy behaviors such as extreme energy, impulsivity, and chewing. Her chewing is a bit much. She has chewed individual shoes to four pairs of shoes, the cord of my curlers, several rolls of toilet paper, some cassette tapes, four ties, several pairs of pants, etc. She also eats acorns straight from the ground, picks up rocks and hides them, and eats any bug or other object she can catch.

Her appetite is amazing, however she appears nice and trim, and healthy. She can wolf her food down in 20 seconds or less. I have not had a puppy in several years, so I do not recall typical eating behavior of puppies. She begs horribly for food. When we first got her, she snatched a blueberry muffing out of my hand, then snatched a piece of ham out of my hand. We thought that perhaps she had been starved at her previous home. There was some evidence she had been severely traumatized, as she was and remains fearful of cars. She would absolutely shut down when riding in the car. It was like she would go into hibernation. That is the only time you could offer her food and she would show no interest.

She is much more comfortable now, but we have concerns regarding the strength of her urine. She does not seem to urinate much (or perhaps we were oversensitive to the fact that Speckles urinated a lot with a Cushings dog), but our male dog Schnapps of course marks territory. We rarely see her urinate. However, as many dachsund puppies are, she is difficult to house train. We have found her urine to have a very strong ammonia scent. My husband believes that her urine is actually killing the grass where she goes outside.

Like I mentioned, she does not have the appearance of being dehydrated, she is extremely playful and very energetic. She wakes up every day, bright and playful. Her disposition is good. She acts as though she is feeling well. She is not overdrinking.

She was fully vetted before she came to us. I loved that. The rescue is very diligent about their dogs. They back their health, and each dog has shots, is neutered, and microchipped.

Anyway, anyone know anything about what might cause this?:confused:

lulusmom
07-12-2009, 04:16 PM
Aaawwww, a new Doxie puppy. Congratulations. Puppies are so much fun and they are all so cute that you just want to hug them forever. They are also a lot of work, which I am sure you had forgotten until now. :D:D

My Lulu was never a big drinker and her urine was extremely concentrated. She was on kibble until she was three years old at which time she was diagnosed with bladders tones. Her vet told me that her water intake was too little and that I should change to a good quality canned food or I could mix the two. Highly acidic urine is a breeding ground for stones so she has also been on potassium citrate which helps make the urine more alkaline.

Strong smelling urine can be a sign of a urinary tract infection and even though she doesn't have the other signs of a UTI, I'd have her checked out by the vet just to make sure.

Glynda

P.S. How about some pictures of your new baby?

Harley PoMMom
07-12-2009, 04:30 PM
Hi Cara,

Congratulations on the newest addition to your family..."Her royal highness, Queen of Attitude," Toode sounds like an adorable bundle of puppy joy!

Altho I am no expert here, her urine being of a very strong ammonia scent & her not going to pee very much could mean she is not getting enough fluids which in turn she could be alittle dehydrated, but not showing it. Maybe getting her electrolytes checked could be a possibility? Like I said, I am no expert, just throwing an idea out there for you to think about.

Best of luck with Toode and please keep us updated.
Lori