SOLO2 - how's it all going?

[2T2T]

Just hoping this are looking up for you

Solo - I wish I could come and help you myself - even if it was just so you could have a lie down! I don't know anyone else who woudl be able to cope with this - not anyone. Poor poor you. Is there NO-One who could dog sit for a while? If it were me I would get a dog sitter in, and go and a have a nap in the car! I feel sorry for all of you. Not to mention the expense you have gone to. Have you spoken to the breeder? I wonder if any other pups from taht litter have had similar symptoms? Can you go to be early tonight and just give yoruself a break from poo scooping? You must be unable to sleep now anyway for worrying about it all. I really think you are amazing - poor you

i camt understand why the vet said to still feed him? when Ralph had bloody diahorrea we had to starve him for 24 hours, then give him eggs and chicken the next day. he had the rehydtating paste as well.

Ok Solo I;m sure as hell not a vet, but I can tell you that the tummy-trouble checklist ours has gone through includes:

• worming - up to date? Very easy to miss in all the chaos
• has he eaten other animal faeces? Cow set ours off initially, and cat/fox in the garden seems to cause a reaction too. Toileting on lead or use a muzzle in the garden if you think he's picking something up.
• might he have some kind of obstruction/foreign bodies in his stomach? We've not got to the X-ray stage, but various twigs/destroyed toys have made their way out just at the end of some bad bouts of diarrhea.
• what food is he on? ID can be a good tummy settler, but it's not hypoallergenic. So it can 'mask' the problem, but if it's an allergy then he'll just keep getting it again. Does he have any other treats etc? Ours is on Zero (not even chicken, just plain boiled rice when he last got ill, then slowly reintroducing dried food). No human food full stop, no wheat, no dairy, no eggs, no rawhide.
• How long a course of antibiotics is he on? My latest vet (who has dog digestive issues as a bit of pet project) thinks courses need to be much longer than traditionally proscribed (2 weeks min), then followed up with a course of Pro-biotics to rebalance the gut.
• What tests has he had done? Poo samples to test for giardia, e-coli etc. WE had to have them done from several consecutive days. Next up is bloods (more expensive) - in ours this showed a B12 deficiency, which we're now having topped up as injections.

Unfortuantely we have not entirely got to the bottom of it with ours, but he has improved to the point where he will heal in a couple of days rather than it dragging on, and - crucially - he can control himself in the house even if ill.

I know you have a lot on your plate so not trying to give you even more to think about, but if your vet isn't very engaged with the problem then this might be helpful. Otherwise ask around the practice/other dog owners for a vet who really does want to get to the bottom of it.

What insurance do you have? If you have lifetime cover you should be able to recover lots of these costs.

I would second misdee's suggestion about trying raw diet, I started when cherry came back from her spay op, she wouldnt eat and had liquid poo (all over the cream carpet) after a coouple of days she would only eat chicken breast (mixed with rice but she lkeft the rice) after a couple of days of feeding her chicken breast I realised that I couldnt actually afford to keep that up and she wouldnt touch the food I had in for her so we tried raw, obviously this is not going to help if there is an illness causing the problem but if it is any sort of allergy it will. vets will not recommend raw feeding, not sure why as every one I know who raw feeds raves about it.

Anyway whatever it is it has got to be worth trying to starve him for 24 hours, you wouldnt feed a child thsat had a stomach bug.

I really hope he gets better soon and you get the rest you need, I bet he will be a different dog when he is better.

I can't think of anything to say other than I hope the torrential rain might wash away some of the poo? What a very very tough time you are having. could you look at ads for a dog waker and pay somene to be in the house with him for a couple of hours while you take the boys out somewhere for a focus on them? A movie you could shut your eyes through?

dog walker - you clearly don't need a dog waker!

saffronblue at dog WAKER!

Never have I been so grateful to see a bit of good, solid dog poo!! I could extole its virtues all day at this point! Rollo 'produced' about an hour ago, having gone all night with no further diarrhoea, although he did bark to go out for a wee at 5.05am. It looks like the vet food is working. In particular, I think it's the dry fish based hyperallergenic food that seems to be doing the trick and he loves it too!

I may well look into a raw food diet, if the diarrhoea recurs. I've just collected the 2nd of 3 poo samples the vet needs collecting over 3 days and should be able to hand those in tomorrow and wait for results.

I'm thinking of using a muzzle on him when he goes for off lead walks, simply to stop him eating anything and everything that might be making him ill, although I don't know how much he'll hate this yet.

Thanks for all this support and the v comprehensive post from AllYouYoungDoods. Rollo is now on Royal Canin hyperallergenic whitefish and tapioca dry food and Royal Canin hyperallergenic Chicken and Rice tinned wet food. He'd previously been life long on Royal Canin Golden Retriever Junior 29 and was totally fine on this till 2.5 weeks ago.

It all began after he ate a larger than usual quantity of cat poo that neighbours cats deposit in our garden plus a tiny tiny undeveloped green apple that had fallen off one of our trees. It restarted - having got better - after he'd eaten a tiny cherry-like fruit on a walk but also after he'd gone back on treats of cheese and sausage, however, those treats had not previously made him ill. Maybe something started him on having a sensitive tummy and then anything else that might make dogs react suddenly started to make him react....

He's one one week of antibiotics - for the second time.

If he remains well, then everything feels so much easier. I can leave him to bark if necessary, knowing he's not desperate to poo. I can get our trainer to have him for occasional days and/or a dog walker too and we can get away on our one week holiday at the end of next week, knowing he's fine with his trainer.

So I'm hoping for more solid poos!

He looks better too and has immediately put back on weight and his coat looks better. He was literally bouncing this morning, when I let him out, with 4 feet off the ground, looking happy and hungry.

Meanwhile, DS2 is back at school and no phone calls yet to collect him and Sports Day is going ahead today but I can't go cos of work commitments anyway.

I don't have insurance BTW as I always think that the premiums and what they'll actually cover outweigh the advantages and our cats have always got by with minimal vet visits.

Here's hoping Rollo remains well now and life can return to a more normal level of puppy-stress and joys combined!

Hurrah for solid poos!

I have to say, life with a puppy reminds me so very clearly of life with a small infant human

So glad, Solo, and long may it last. It did take a few days for food to kick in with my brother's pointer, too - the rare snack he gets to steal/find still makes him ill, in his case the special food is for life. But he is well 99% of the time.

Who knows, maybe the ultra-stress of the runny-poo days will make moderate-stress of puppy/child/work life seem easier: you and Rollo have survived an acutely hard time together, now hopefully you will get some fun

solo2 - three cheers for you!!!!! you are a titan among MN dog-owners!!. Hats off to you and i hope it is all plain sailing from here. You just need to get his sleep sorted and all will be well

I'm so glad Rollo seems to be on the mend now. Hopefully you will start to enjoy him more now.

Fingers crossed the new diet works.

Solo

It sounds as though you've had an awful time with your pup and I'm really glad he's back on track in the poo department.

I've read through all of your posts and it does sound as though he has developed a food intolerance, wheat or maize is common - the ear problems and poor coat condition sort of put the tin lid on it in my mind. The RC food has obviously got him slowly back to normal but even though it's 'prescribed' by the vet it's known for being less than good quality. And it's pretty pricey.

If he's keen on fish, once he's got some physical strength back I'd try moving him onto a fish and potato based food. Pets at Home do a good one, and so do fish4dogs. Both foods are good quality with natural preservatives and no crappy fillers. The less crap there is in the food, the less likely it is to cause him a problem.

How are his ears doing on the new diet?

God Solo. What an awful time you are having. Unbelievably awful poor you. Well done for soldiering on.

Agree with daisy re ears/coat being red flags. I dislike intensely vets that push/sell specific dog food. Conflict of interest surely. When you look on the ingredients list on the packets what is in it? lots of (different) fillers?

I (third) barf diet, but if you don't want to go down that route there are lots of much better complete foods out there, daisy has mentioned a couple.

I got only four hrs sleep last night, yet he hasn't got diarrhoea? Put him to bed at 10.15pm. He barked v v loudly at 11.30pm and I couldn't run the risk of DS2 (who's bene ill) waking. So went down to him and took him out and he just needed a wee. Put him back in his crate. At 4.30am he was barking v v v loudly again....out for another wee and then he slept again but by then - 5.30am, it was almost time any way for me to start my normal day...and I've been up ever since.

However, he still seems a lot better...but boy oh boy, I'm not finding any joy in dog owning at present! Absolutely none of it is any fun.

Not a great start to the day therefore...hope it gets better as I've got to fit him round lots of work meetings today and also DCs are in major roles ina school drama production tonight. So Rollo will have to manage for 3 hrs alone this evening.

Will keep thinking about the food he's on and hoping it all gets better. Met another dog owner out walking the other day who said 5 months was the worst age for her with her pup - who's now fully grown. So maybe it gets better from here???

well it cant get worse so it is going to get better. I still think by going to him everytime he barks you are reinforcing the behaviour, could you get earplugs for the dc? My dc would sleep through most things that wake me up. sorry you had so little sleep though, there is nothing worse (well maybe excpet for puppy diahrehea). keep going you are winning.

solo2 - about lack of sleep thing. Horrible to be feeling so constantly tired . Like ditavonsteesed said, it can only get better because it sure as hell cannot get any worse! I also agree, that you are 'encouraging' him to bark by going to him each time. He may wake the dc's but for short term sleep disturbance you can probably get long term gain, cos you cannot carry on being disturbed every night, that's for sure. Could your child/children go for a sleepover? That way you could suffer manybe one or two more disturbednights and then be done with it. Goodluck. I#, not surprised your are not getting any pleasure from your dog but it will come I'm sure - you have come so far

Sorry to hear this Solo. With the sleep thing, if you're worried about DC's maybe go cold turkey over the wkend so you're not worried about lack of sleep and DC's? Hope things get better soon, x

greetings from Indiana, USA. solo2 ... THANK YOU!!! I've been reading your posts and all of the supportive responses ...it's so refreshing after reading so many dog and puppy boards where posters are condescending and not supportive.

I'm in the same boat. First time golden puppy mom .... With 3 kids, 11, 9& 6. We've had puppy for 2 weeks. babies are so much easier!!!! we did our research, interviewed breeders ... Read books. but it doesn't compare. After week one, my 9 year old wanted to kennel him so we could do our normal summer activities ... Go to the pool, the county fair .. I lost my temper. I was the holdout on getting a puppy. all I've heard for over a year was "when are we getting a puppy, why can't we get a puppy, what are we going to name our puppy" and then she wants to kennel him after a week! he's a puppy! he needs time, but kids are kids. My husband works a lot and travels (latest trip is China ... Yea me).

Anyway ... Pup isn't happy with his crate at all ... Hates being walked on a leash. I'll ask what Solo asked ... Please tell me it gets better because I'm on pins and needles ... I have a crate in our kitchen, which he particularly loathes, but I don't know what else to do if I Need to get chores done.

I'm trying as hard as I can to be on a schedule, but that's next to impossible with the kids and all their summer activities that change from week to week. DH gets annoyed because of this ...

I just hope at some Pontiac, I'll have a well adjusted dog that won't keep my stomach in knots and that my kids will stop resenting the time I spend with him.

He's giving me to poo look gotta go ... Thanks

My pup is now 14 weeks.
He doesn't like his crate if I shut the door of it. What I do have is a playpen attached to either side of the crate, so I can pen him, but he can also go into the crate where his bed is if he wants to. I don't have a bed in the pen. If he wants to snuggle he has to go in the crate.

This works really well, because I we get some peace and quiet and he is happy because he has a bit more room. He does tend to move about alot when he is asleep

Also, maybe use of stair gates? Feed pup in crate with door open, treat him there etc. We also have a long indoor training lead on our lab, as she's a monkey for jumping, biting etc, but having the lead to hand-or foot means I can grab her quickly and easily. Saying that, she's just chewed through the bloody thing-was tethered to the sofa leg as doesn't let us have peace in the evenings otherwise. Was sprayed with antichew stuff too, which she finds especially tasty! :o
Come join us on the new puppy thread :)

stressedpuppymum, It gets so much easier. my dog is 18months olds, although we have had a couple of up and downs we have had no major problems, and now (and for as long as I can remember) dog just fits in with us, she potters around as we do, she snuggles up with us in the evening and then goes out for one last wee and to bed, I often have to get her up in the morning.

As long as you keep on with training and make sure you have some fun together, also once they pass 1 year old you can go for really long walks and knacker them out, you have heard the saying a tired dog is a happy dog, so true.
I have tried (on the advice of an my auntie who is very experienced) not to have a routine, so dog isnt expecting a walk at the same time every day, I struggle a bit with this as I usually take her out after the school run, it just makes sense to me, but I can see how that would work.

we have a baby gate in the hall so can shut dog in ktichen and dining room, she only ever went in the crate if I was actually going out, think it is really important for them to be just left to entertain themselves sometimes, like kids really (although I am lazy so have always incouraged independent play).
Anyway hope it gets better soon.
Solo, hope you had a great holiday and feel a lot happier on return.

Hi Back from hol. and the dog trainer has reported that Rollo has been better than the perfect puppy for her all the time we've been away. I'm hoping he'll be a lot easier for us when he returns tomorrow afternoon. Have delayed him coming home as DS1 got a vomiting bug that had me up all night and also I've returned to masses of laundry. I'm also trying to erect a strong wire mesh fence - singlehandedly - in the garden today to fence off an area for Rollo - something I should have done before we got him. As there's torrential rain, here, this is not easy but I think it's a priority!

According to our trainer, who's been looking after him - there are a few major differences at her home that help a lot - she ONLY looks after dogs/ trains them - her own and others - has no DCs, is single, and isn't running a f/t business like me; she allows her dogs free run of her entire home and tiny paved back yard - whereas the hazards to dog and us of having Rollo run free ina larger house and back garden have meant I've had to restrict him and follow him around all the time; she has other dogs that have v happily occupied Rollo.

So I'm going to try to improve on giving Rollo more free space to roam but can't do anything about having DCs and a f/t business that demand my time nor do I plan to get another dog!

What I'm really hoping is that he remains well and doesn't get diarrhoea again. Clearly, he's a lovely puppy and has got on fine with all people and dogs and a different lifestyle and home whilst we've been away. So I'm hoping he'll be better when he comes home to us tomorrow. Apparently, whilst we've been away, he's gone 11 hrs through the night, not needing a wee/ poo, have mooched happily and without being demanding, has only jumped up once and mouthed once, has walked well on a lead, has never jumped up to the kitchen surfaces and has beena 'dream dog' but for all the reasons I mentioned above.

Having DCs AND a puppy I think is a really hard combination. When I was researching breeders on the web, one site said they never home pups with families where the children are under 14 and I can now understand why. My DCs are still that little bit too young, at aged 10, to be happy with the time taken away from them and what they want to do and me needing to look after pur dog and also too young to manage his mouthing/ nipping/ pooing/ diarrhoea etc etc. So it's as if I've added another especially challenging child to the home.

Mixed feelings about his return....if I didn't have DCs, I'd be longing to see him and cuddle him and put lots into his training again. Having DCs means that I'm also sort of dreading his return but hoping he'll have improved during our time away.

Rollo is lucky to have such an understanding, caring owner Solo. You are doing really well with him. You will get pleasure from him, soon. I promise. To be fair, as much as puppies are cute I don't ever enjoy them as much as adult dogs, even if they are healthy.

I hope Rollo stays in good health and things continue to improve wrt to sleeping/training. My offer of having him here so you can have a break is always open, with or without liquid poos. I am quite used to them and actually decorated my house to cope well with Squitty Cat.