Our Cosmic Autumn Rebellion (Adolescent Support Group)

[MonCoubousMonTourmalet]

Okay folks, let's head into late summer/autumn.

@SpanielsGalore the hips showed as okay - there was something on the spine which they are getting someone else to look at also.

We’ve got an anti inflammatory tablet to try for a while and also working with the behaviouralist on cooperative care currently whilst still keeping my youngest and her separate.

Still doing the shorter walks and focusing on her getting enough day sleep.

we’ve also all got the back to school cold which is rather unpleasant!

@Flowerfusion I really hope you get to the bottom of it soon. It must be very worrying for you. I hope the anti inflammatories help. Poor baby. 💔

@Flowerfusion
It sounds rough, dealing with this and then being poorly as well. I hope you all feel better soon and also that the vets can give you some answers about pups spinal problem.

@Flowerfusion I hope the spine issue is not too serious and that the anti inflammatory medication works.

I wish more vets would practise cooperative care. We had to take M to the vets a few weeks ago and the vet was so rough. The vet nurse was so different and said that she was a proponent of cooperative care. It made such a difference.

Thank you @SpanielsGalore @Aubrielle and @Nella68 i appreciate your kind words!

She’s very worried about hands coming towards her currently - for her last groom they only managed one snip before she reacted so that’s the big thing at the moment.

As she’s a poodle we introduced all the grooming bits with treats and she went to the groomers lots to have ‘meet and treats’ and did regular but little grooms.

but we clearly missed something somewhere!

@Flowerfusion that must be very stressful for you all, particularly knowing that a groom and a clip is a lifetime need. Perhaps, if it is pain which happened when she was at the groomers, she now associates the groomers with causing pain.
Was she ok at the groomers when she was younger?

In the kennel club silver class we are working on getting the dogs used to hands coming towards them and eventually being able to examine them. There’s a couple of dogs that are very nervous about being touched so the trainers are taking it very slowly. They’re at the point of touching the owner’s arm whilst the dog does a chin rest- they haven’t gone anywhere near the dogs yet.

I’m sending thoughts of solidarity as I know what it’s like having a dog with a high maintenance coat. If the anti inflammatory meds work then fingers crossed you should be able to enable a positive association with touch.

@Nella68 I really wish she could just tell me what the problem was!

She was fine at the groomers until she had some matts which we reacted to. And that has slowly got worse…

and then she started reacting to hands in the house. And all noises etc.

She was also completely fine being examined at the vets and we took her lots of times but then she just switched one time and ended up in a muzzle when being examined.

So a lot to unpick!

@Flowerfusion I would think it's all pain related. If there is something wrong with her back, which is throwing her hip out when she walks, then she's probably in quite a bit of pain. And she's reacting to hands coming toward her because she's scared of being hurt. I think the best you can do at the minute is manage the situation until her back is sorted.

Poor bug, @Flowerfusion . It's so hard to know where their behaviour is coming from sometimes. It only seems to make sense in reverse, doesn't it?

Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's a picture of Bill taking the war to the squirrels this evening. Mostly for @Aubrielle and @LandSharksAnonymous who enjoy him nearly as much as me.

Thanks @Bupster for this classic Bill photo. He is very clearly now a professional at this nest/hide building lark ❤

This may be a stupid question, but V has been licking his front paw a lot since yesterday so there’s obviously something up. I tried to have a look (he usually lets me touch him anywhere) but he growled and snapped at me. DH managed to have a look whilst I let V lick a tube of turkey paste and he couldn’t see anything but there’s obviously a problem if he’s licking it so much. I’m going to call the vets but what happens if he won’t let the vets touch it either?

@YorkshireFelix I'm not sure what will happen if he won't let the vets touch it but at least there will be more of you there to try and get him to cooperate. Bless him, it must be sore if he's being like that. Our grass seed saga started with a foot that she was licking a lot, though she always let me look, so vets is a definite yes from me.

@YorkshireFelix poor vinny, it must be painful to make him snap. I wonder if it’s a grass seed that’s burrowed in.

When we took M to see the vet for his ears we had to hold his muzzle and his body whilst the vet looked in his ears. It was quite challenging. Taking a tube of something is a good idea.

After our trip to the vet we have muzzle trained M as I did fear he would snap out of stress.

@YorkshireFelixsorry to hear about the sore paw. I’m sure the vet is very used to it and as @brushingbootssays, there will be more of you there. Hopefully you’ll get to the bottom of the problem soon

Thanks all that is good to know! I will take the turkey paste tube just in case!!

@YorkshireFelix Poor Vinny. It must be quite painful if he's snapping at you. 😥 I take a tube of Primula Cheese with me to the vets to keep them distracted. I hope the vets can help.

@Nella68 can I ask how you did your muzzle training? I’ve got one but haven’t started the training yet….

@Flowerfusion I did it really slowly. I put the muzzle on the floor and marked ‘yes’ and rewarded every time he sniffed it. I used really high value treats. I think the next step was to put the treats in the muzzle (still on the floor). Then I held it and treated when he sniffed it in my hand and gradually got it closer and closer to his face. Bit by bit I put it on his nose and fed treats through the holes. Eventually slipped it on and off a few times. Last step was to fasten it and leave it on for longer spells.
How is your pup with you touching her face and holding her collar? I know you have said she has started reacting to hands. If that stresses her I think that would be my first step before even trying the muzzle. With Midge the worst thing to do is to rush him.

You could also try smearing the inside of the muzzle with peanut butter, pate or squirty cheese, which encourages the dog to put their face into it to lick it clean.

I hope Vinny is okay @YorkshireFelix

Thanks everyone for your well wishes!!

We have just got back from the vets. He let the vet look at his paw because he was a bit nervous so did his best statue impression. He said he can’t see any foreign object in there but his toe was inflamed so he’s had an anti-inflammatory injection and has some anti-inflammatory medicine for the next 7 days. If he’s still licking his paw after that we have to go back for an x-ray. The vet did say he used to have a practice down south and constantly saw dogs with grass seeds in paws and ears, but for some reason up here he doesn’t see it very often. So fingers crossed it’s nothing else and the medicine does its job.

I upgraded our pet health club thing this morning to pay an extra £8 a month which covers consultations as I figured I’d only need to visit twice in one year to make the money back, so I think that was worth doing for us as I only had to pay for the medicine in the end.

@YorkshireFelixhow is he getting on with the medication?

@YorkshireFelix Yes. How is Vinny's foot/toe? Are you having to rest him or can you walk as normal?

K and I went to the woods again today. Must say, I am enjoying spending time walking her on her own. Didn't enjoy her disappearing in the few seconds I spent reading a text message though. Hate it when they suddenly disappear off the face of the earth and you didn't see which direction they went in. I blew my whistle a few times and she eventually reappeared racing towards me, about 100 yards further up the path.

Thanks for asking @cashmerecardigans @SpanielsGalore he is perfectly fine! No more paw licking since we’ve been to the vets so I think the anti-inflammatory has done it’s job thank god.

@cashmerecardigans how are you getting on with your lovely boy? Have you had him almost 2 weeks now?

@SpanielsGalore I thought of you today because I walked V in some different woods for the first time and he disappeared for 5 minutes and I couldn’t hear him at all so was shouting him and blowing the whistle. He reappeared all frantic and immediately flopped on the floor and wouldn’t move. So I think it must be an adrenaline thing! Have you had it happen again since the last time? How is P getting on? Has she managed to rest at all or still pogoing about?

Someone has been setting off fireworks quite close by tonight (usually it’s in the distance so not too bad) and poor V was so scared. He was barking then kept jumping up at me grumbling and making some funny noises I’ve never heard before. I picked him up and he was literally clinging on to me and pushing his head right up against me and grumbling. I am dreading as it gets closer to bonfire night if it’s going to stress him out so much. It didn’t bother him at all last year.