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Post by hmoosek on Jul 26, 2022 10:06:09 GMT -6
Great story!
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spike
New Member
Posts: 39
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Post by spike on Aug 8, 2022 14:47:34 GMT -6
Our pooch is blind and diabetic. We hate leaving him all alone and behind when we hit the trails. Now his lordship can come with us. No point in having a pet if the are not properly treated.
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Post by amyinowasso on Sept 10, 2022 11:36:32 GMT -6
Our newest. He was one of the 4,000 from. A puppy mill in...Virginia? He hasn't found his voice yet. Our last beagle died earlier in the year. This is Rascal. He's a year and a half. He's not afraid of the other 2 dogs who are 75 pounds each. I think he's imprinted on Honey, the dog I call sasquatch.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Sept 10, 2022 12:47:50 GMT -6
amyinowasso,
That Rascal, is a beautiful Beagle!
We have a German Shepherd that acts like he's going to eat the barn cat every time he sees him. The cat will hiss, take off running like a wild animal, jump and hang a claw in anything he can find, and scurry up in the loft like a little gray squirrel with the German shepherd hot on his tail. The German Shepherd 'hunts/stalks' the poor little cat every time he walks into the barn.
The cat likes the dog's food and any time the dogs aren't in the barn when I feed them, the cat jumps down on the floor and woofs a huge mouthful of their food, then runs off, almost like he's 'stealing' it.
For that reason, I always put the cat's food out first; he eats way up high where dogs can't reach his food, then, I feed the dogs second.
A few days ago, I fed the dogs first. To my surprise, the cat jumped down from the loft and head-butted the German shepherd's muzzle out of the way in the dog's own food dish, so he could grab a big mouthful of his food. The German Shepherd just stood there and let him do it.
At first, I thought maybe the dog let the cat do that because I was closely watching the two of them. Since that time, I've noticed the cat nudging the German Shepherd while the dog is lounging in the shade of the barn, sitting back on his haunches. The cat clearly wants the dog to pay attention to him, then he'll weave in and out the dog's front legs with his tail straight in the air and rub up against the dog's legs; just like he rubs on my legs, wanting me to pet him.
A few days ago, I saw the cat walking along the top of the work bench, where the dog poked his nose over the counter top to get a better look. Right when I expected the cat to slap the dog in the face or the dog to wolf the cat down in one bite, the two of them touched noses and just rubbed their heads together. I've also seen the dog walk right past the cat, then seen the cat run up behind him and grab the dog by the haunches, like a lion grabs a zebra, then take off to get the dog to chase him.
I'm starting to think they've been pals all along and just like to play rough. There is more going on in an animal's head than we humans are aware of.
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spike
New Member
Posts: 39
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Post by spike on Sept 10, 2022 19:41:40 GMT -6
That is one adorable Beagle!
I found this picture and needed to share. My girls <3 I miss them so much but we gave them long, happy, spoiled rotten lives!
My Queen - Miss Missy and The Princess - Baby Cricket.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on May 3, 2023 15:39:53 GMT -6
I haven't visited the dog thread in a long time, but today, the little mixed-breed, who-knows-what shelter dog that we adopted last winter made me think back to this thread.
I was cooking up a batch of stewed tomatoes this evening. No one in my family likes them except for me. I'm not even sure that I like them? I just make them because they remind me of my Grandma.
While I was eating a bowl full of them by myself, the little shelter dog, whose name is "Porcha" began to beg a bite from me. I told her, "You won't like these, no one likes these." But that had no affect on her, so I spooned a piece of diced tomato onto a paper plate for her, and to my surprise, she lapped it right up!
I thought to myself, "Maybe that was just because she didn't know what it was." So, I spooned out another one for her. Same thing, she woofed it right down. I'll bet I fed her 10 spoons full of the stuff and she never stopped to even sniff, she just lapped them up, bite after bite.
When they were all gone, she begged and begged until I finally gave her the bowl so she could lick it clean. Now, for the first time in my life, aside from Grandma, I have a stewed tomato eating buddy. She's a keeper.
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Post by macmex on May 4, 2023 6:49:15 GMT -6
Ron, thanks for the anecdote! It got me thinking about what makes a dog valuable to us. I believe there are several different factors and, not everyone judges by the same ones. Utility is an important factor, especially in a working environment. My livestock guardian dogs definitely earn their keep by what they do, though there is much more. Companionship is an important factor. I suspect most dog owners fully understand this element. It's relationship.
My family might have too many dogs. Our middle child, a daughter, lives in her own house, on the same property. She has two dogs. We have three livestock guardian dogs, a boxer and Lista, and English shepherd, who was purchased with a job in mind. I thought I could use her to help manage livestock. Wrong! Her instincts are apparently muted or otherwise messed up. Whenever I'm trying to round up any animals she excitedly jumps in and tries to herd... me! This makes a mess of the entire process. She insists on being in the house at night and sheds profusely. My wife wishes we never got her, or at least... that's what she often says. I've thought about finding her another home, but there are a couple of things which have held me back.
First of all, I went through some really deep waters, cognitively, for some years. The worst was back around 2020-2021. Then, it looked like I might have been out of work on disability and even, at times, it was questionable if I wasn't going to descend into irrevocable dementia. Lista has "written" her own job description. It is to "help Pops" (Me). "Helping boils down to watching and following me almost every minute that I am at home. She's my shadow. Because of some of her faults, she is extremely slow to accept other people. Having gone through what I have, cognitively, I think I can somewhat understand where she's coming from. I experienced some of it. She struggles greatly with change and with new things. She hates loud noises. She is simply the happiest when she shadows me on chores, in the dark, before work. Nobody else is around and we do the very same things every time. If I sit down, she's right there beside me, bumping my elbow to get petted. At night, she may lay right by my side of the bed or, she may be down the hall a bit, but she's always listening and alert to any changes. If a smoke alarm runs low on batteries (always, this happens in the middle of the night) it will start beeping, like every 45 seconds. With my hearing issues, I don't hear the beep. Lista does and it's a change! She insists on alerting me to it, until I discover the issue and change the battery.
One of my problems has been an extreme loss of short term memory. So, twice, while Jerreth was away, in the evening I put sugar water on the stove for feeding bees. It's supposed to reach boiling before being turned off. Because I pack so much into the day, I often multitask. So, I put the sugar water on to boil and ... walked off, forgetting it. Both times it was on low heat and I went to bed, leaving it there. Both times, it boiled dry and starting smoking. Once, it caught fire and started a kitchen fire. In neither case did I notice... AT ALL. I would have been overcome by the smoke if it wasn't for ... Lista. She woke me, barking and fussing. When I awoke and sat up in bed, I was instantly blinded by the smoke and unable to breath. In both cases I just managed to get down the hall and out the door, hyperventilating before managing to go back in and put out the fire. She saved my life, twice. For more than a year after these experiences I would often awaken in the middle of the night, smelling smoke and, for all the world, I thought I could see it in the air, until I put on my glasses and turned on the lights, seeing nothing. I would have to get up and walk around the house before I could go back to sleep. Yet, I've learned that if Lista is tranquil, it's alright.
So, she's worthless as a working dog. I don't feel the need of a dedicated companion, yet the Lord has placed one, providentially, in my life. In the last year or so my cognitive issues have been improving. In the last six months I've improved way more than I would ever have hoped. Still, I like to think that Lista's "account" is really in the black. She may seem worthless and often a pain but I'll keep her.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on May 4, 2023 7:19:13 GMT -6
Clearly providence. Praise the most high. Hugs to Lista!
I tried to kick the rooster one day. My feet weren’t set properly and the short of it; I sprained my hip, ended up on the ground seeing stars. My scream scared the Roo away. (Stop laughing, Woodeye ) It was early, the kids were asleep and no one was there to help. My impotence was profound but Goober had come over and checked on me and saw that I was okay. On that day, he became even more of a blessing I’ve no doubt that he would get help if needed.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on May 4, 2023 14:24:00 GMT -6
Lista is a little sweetheart. She's a lot like Porcha, afraid of her own shadow, but she's still the best companion anyone ever had. In winter, when Margaret is gone for the day, Porcha gets up in my chair and wraps herself around my neck like a scarf. She only weighs 4 or 5 pounds, so she feels like a little humming bird when she jumps in your lap.
Frosty,
I can relate to Goober too. I have epilepsy, so sometimes I go down and can't get up for extended periods of time. So far, I've never been hurt doing that, but a few times I've laid in the hot sun or in the rain for a few minutes before I can walk again. One time, I was working on the roof and dropped the whole gable end of my summer kitchen off the peak of the end wall and busted half the studs in it, but I was able to fall on the scaffold so I was not hurt.
I used to have a red heeler stock dog named, Duke, who followed me everywhere. When I'd have a seizure like that, Duke would come up to me, put his head upside-down, so he could look me in the eye and would fret over me, then he'd lay his head on my chest and whine until I got back up. There's a lot to be said about a good, steady, friend in a situation like that. If the rooster ever found me lying there like that, Duke would fend him off for me, but he would never kill him, he'd just keep me safe until I could get back up.
Duke kept the hogs off me like that once. Duke was a small dog, so he was really no match for a pair of half-grown hogs, but he did his absolute best and was able to head them both off while I recovered. Later, Duke was caked in mud, from having broadsided the hogs so many times, trying to push them away. I was so proud of him for doing that for me. He was too fast for the hogs to get him, but the hogs would have made short work of him if they ever did catch him.
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Post by hmoosek on May 5, 2023 15:36:54 GMT -6
@frostyturnip I dunno bout woodeye , But I was snorting and laughing out loud’ macmex She looks like a beautiful companion! heavyhitterokra She’s a keeper! My Babygirl was 4 years old when I got hurt. I had to sleep in the recliner for several months. BG would not leave my side. She stayed in my lap only leaving when wife took her to eat/drink and potty breaks. She was supposed to be the wife’s lap pooch, but she took up with me from day 1! I would leave for work and she would nearly drive Wifey nuts because she sat by the door and wined. I made the mistake of taking her to work one day, from then on, she knew where I was and would throw a hissy fit. One afternoon the wife called me and said “can I bring Babygirl up to see you?” She pulled into the parking lot and the minute she opened the door, BG leaped out and headed to the entrance to find me. Once she said been given “hugs and sugers” she was fine. Babygirl will Turn 11 next friday. I think often about how I’m going to deal with the loss when it happens as It’s going to blow a hole plumb through my heart. I’m sure enjoying every minute while I can.
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Post by amyinowasso on May 6, 2023 10:27:31 GMT -6
I currently sleep in a recliner. If I get up for a bathroom break before 4 am, I'm fine, no one wakes up. Later than that the dogs will whine to go out. Then they eat all the cat food, which brings the cat out to meow at me. It's an hour and a half before everyone settles down again. About that time my husband gets up and puts them out again and it starts over.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jun 9, 2023 0:31:32 GMT -6
Goober is going to the vet tomorrow. It’s unusual for me to do so but the poor guy is in so much pain. First, he got skunked. Direct hit to the snout. He had to stay outside for the day which was emotionally traumatizing. He has separation anxiety. We went out and ahowered attention but it didn’t help. When we let him in it took about 12 hrs for him to even wag his tail. So depressed. Two days later we notice the black under his nostrils was turning pink. We heard him cry inpain but couldn’t figure outfrom where. The next morning his nose had swolllen too. Sinuses from the skunk?. I took a heuristic approach and assumed bacterial infection and gave a dose of turmeric. By evening the swelling went down and pigment looked better. But when sir Thor was playing with him the dog welped in pain. Had him play around more to find the source of pain.
he has a tick deep in his ear. So painful, he won’t let us get to it. Three of us holding him down and he threatened to bite. So painful that sometimes he whines without prompting and he’s a quiet dog. Feel so terrible over him. Worried about what seems to be a running infection though I don’t know if it is from the tick or skunk and don’t like all this bring so close to his brain.
im So eager to take him in get that tick out get him relief and a course of meds. Appt is in the morning.
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Post by macmex on Jun 9, 2023 5:38:29 GMT -6
Sounds like a wise call. Hope he gets feeling better very soon.
In order to continue getting heart worm meds for our dogs the new laws demand that they be examined by a vet at least once a year. Between us and our daughter we have 7 dogs, three of which weigh in over 100 lbs each. Friday we have an appointment for the vet to COME to our home to do the exam. Some of these dogs have severe anxiety over going anywhere in the car. One time I took Guerrero, our oldest livestock guardian dog, to the vet and allowed him to stick his head out the window, trying to calm him. At one point he raised his head and broke the plastic trim above that window as if it was nothing.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jun 9, 2023 15:56:42 GMT -6
Vet wasn’t there but that’s no prob. Gave us a 20 dollar injestible. Nexguard. Said the tick would come out in an hour. They won’t pull it. It’s still there. Going to try to catch the vet in the early for at least the infection. The turmeric seems to be helping as the pigmentation on his nose is coming back. Not sure but I think he’s feeling a little better. If I could only get at that tick. . . .
the new law is not good since not much is really helpful except the vets experience.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jun 9, 2023 19:02:05 GMT -6
Frosty,
That NexGard is a God-send for our dogs! (And for us too!) Around here in Tick-Country, it's way worth the price we pay, just to ensure that our dogs are not contributing to the tick population. That stuff works like magic. I sure do wish they made it for humans too.
I also found out a few years ago that in Oklahoma, you can buy 'Fish Antibiotics' from the Farmers' Co-op for about $20.00 per bottle of 30 Capsules. They are 500mg capsules of Amoxycylin that can be pulled apart and measured out to regulate the dose.
The brand name is: "FISHBIOTIC"
This is just an example of one with a price on it. I've bought them cheaper locally: www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=b2c8a496-d9c6-46f4-8907-08c66cb0feac&itemguid=b5123399-2aaa-497a-bee2-c9bb7e14e6ff&sfb=1&grp=5000&grpc=5200&grpsc=5210&sp=p&utm_content=46905&ccd=IFP003&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwm4ukBhAuEiwA0zQxk9BcAEqkpVubiWbCy05VOT9_XDfjejdbNZ1oMAgehTWbbxxqo859rhoCy-QQAvD_BwE
The dosing rate for dogs is about 5 to 10 mg/lb. Meaning that the dose for a 50-pound dog is 250mg to 500mg per dose.
Since I found you could buy those without a prescription, I've saved more than one animal's life around here. We've used them on dogs, rabbits, geese, and chickens.
For dogs, I measure out the dose and wrap it in the cheap, ALWAYS-SAVE brand American cheese. I just peel out a slice, spread the dose across one half, fold it in the center, squish the edges for a good seal, feed them a regular, unmedicated piece or two first, then slip them the one with the 'Mickey' in it, and Bye-Bye cheesy medicine!
The big dogs woof it down so fast that they never know the medicine is in there. Smaller dogs might notice, but our two outside 'chow-hounds' Sunny, the German Shepherd and Peppy, the mixed-breed bulldog, will eat anything that don't eat them first.
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