The Cellar » Dogs

griff · 11/19/2020 4:40 pm

Those doggie surgeries can add up. Good on you for taking good care of them.

bbro · 12/12/2020 8:01 pm

Update:
Fatty boom batty lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks, but still needs more. The snoring has improved a lot. He's still hungry, though, so I've added some pumpkin to his morning meals. He loves it and it actually slows him down if I smear it around his bowl since he has to lick it up.

I also decided to buy them some puzzles. Apparently, Max is the friggin brain. He got both puzzles quickly. I might actually put some of his dinner in there. Or save some of his breakfast so he can eat it from there. Tess is mildly interested, but not really. It seems like she wants to like it, but she's just not that food motivated.

Pics for attention

Clodfobble · 12/13/2020 7:25 pm

I got tempted by a dog (it would be our third) while volunteering at the shelter today with Minifobette. I'm trying really hard to convince myself it's a bad idea--she'll get much bigger than our other two, and there's no guarantee they'll get along, and it will totally mess up our current sleeping truce (the two little ones have negotiated their way out of the crate and into our bed most nights as long as they don't crowd us, but we could never manage with a third.) With any luck, she'll already have been adopted by next weekend and it will be a moot point.

griff · 12/14/2020 6:59 am

So you're saying Minifobette doesn't have a dog for her bed.

Clodfobble · 12/14/2020 7:46 am

Heh... We actually tried that with the second one, which was loosely supposed to be "her" dog. But as long as I'm the one who feeds them (and as of right now, Minifobette frequently forgets to feed herself when left to her own devices) then I'm the one they want to sleep with. On the other hand, a dog yipping at her for food might be as good a reminder as any for her to eat.

griff · 12/14/2020 2:07 pm

Sounds like a good gig for a dog.

bbro · 1/08/2021 8:56 pm

@Clod - Tess continually tries to gingerly step up onto the bed and sleep there in the middle of the night. Like, not up near my head or anything, but near my feet! I think she just wants the bed and doesn't care about me

Update on fatty boom batty. He's definitely lost some more weight. They go to the vet next month for some boosters and more tests, so I'm hoping they'll tell me that he's good to go back to a normal diet. You can actually see a dip in his shape before his hips now. I tried to get a picture, but you can't really see the difference. I've also decided to double his green beans in the morning to help keep him full. It doesn't lower the amount of kibble he gets too much because they're so low in calories, but I think they'll be good for him

Pic of our NYE

Last edited by Clodfobble (1/09/2021 11:46 pm)

DanaC · 1/09/2021 7:10 am

They are truly gorgeous dogs

* with regards to grooming methods (pinning the dog down to groom him) - Carrot has a grooming phobia - has never taken to it. I got him shaved down at the vet once under sedation and they made such a mess of his ears he ended up on antibiotics for a massive infection in the tips of both ears.

Like the doodles his fur grows fast and mats hard so it is a real healthcare issue sometimes to make sure his feet are ok, and he can actually do his business (it grows like a skein across his bum if not dealt with)

When you try to groom Carrot he may be good as old for a few mins or wil let you do one little bit but then when he objects he does so in such a sudden and explosive way, with every bit of him in motion that it is literally dangerous to not restrain him - and anything less than being held in a death grip is not sufficient: I once got calming meds for him and left him with the groomer and he literally tried to climb the frame of the grooming table: the little restraining loops were no match for him.

Over the years the groomer (who is amazing and works around the dog lying on the floor with them if necessary) has built enough trust to do a reasonable chunk of him, but he's there for an hour and a half and that's enough to maybe do hi body but not his head, or his head but not his body, or just his feet and his bum.

Even with that trust some stuff still requires him to be held immobile (cutting or clipping away the little clumps of fur between his toes).

If I have to do something myself with him, because it is imperative it is done and quick, I have to hold him and get my mum to do the actual cutting (she isnt strong enough to hold him still).

There just isnt another way with him - which no doubt reinforces the issue - but the alternative is unacceptable (a dog who cannot poo past the fur for instance)

The only way I have managed with him is to take him to the groomers about every 3-4 weeks so that it doesnt get a chance to get mad knotty (which makes the groom more difficult and painful) and allows her to do different bits of him on each visit.

Its taken me 9 years to get to the stage where I can brush him

bbro · 1/09/2021 8:55 am

UGH! I had a whole thing written and navigated away.

Carrot and Tess sound similar. I think she's getting better, though. I find that if I get her while she's still half asleep, she tolerates it more. I'm ok with grooming her myself if she would just sit a little. I tried the clippers on her which went pretty well until there was a slight tug from the curls (I need a longer comb) and that was IT. She starts to run around and she does some play indicators which is weird (play bow and tail wagging). She's a huge fan of hitting, too - lol

She does let me brush her, though, so the matting hasn't been a problem yet. I'm also going to try to do some snipping when I'm giving her a bath. She goes to her happy place and zones out, so I want to see if that means she won't notice the scissor. Obviously, if she protests, that's a quick one and done. I don't want to add water to scissors and a panicked dog.

Another weird thing is that if I try too long and she's just not cooperating, Max gets stressed out. Hs starts circling and then tries to intervene. Not in a violent way or anything, but more like he's putting himself between me and her. Like, he'll lay down right where I'm trying to get her to lay down and settle. To redirect my attention or something. It's weird.

If I find a groomer I trust, I might do the more frequent visits. That's a good idea. Thanks for the post! It definitely makes me feel better to know that I may just have to tie her down. I wonder if I can get one of those sheep shearing tables.......

DanaC · 1/09/2021 4:34 pm

The thing is, once I've held him properly immobile while some snipping occurs, and he's tried to throw me off like a bucking bronco and failed - it's like he becomes temporarily resigned to his terrible fate and I can let up and just gently hold him - and just really tighten my grip if it is absolutely essential he doesn't jerk at all

I'm talking to him throughout and when that bit of cutting is done it's all praise and cuddles.

I wish I could actually explain to him that if he sucked it up and let the clipper happen he'd be completely donw, nose to tail in about 45 minutes - instead of it taking approximately 3 x 1.5 hour groom trips to make it round his full body

Last edited by DanaC (1/09/2021 4:36 pm)

BigV · 1/09/2021 7:26 pm

I can't see the pictures you've posted, bbro.

Clodfobble · 1/09/2021 11:48 pm

My browser actually blocked the image from the outset, but I just thought it was broken. Happy to put a working one back in if you have one, bbro.

bbro · 1/10/2021 8:49 am

DanaC wrote:
The thing is, once I've held him properly immobile while some snipping occurs, and he's tried to throw me off like a bucking bronco and failed - it's like he becomes temporarily resigned to his terrible fate and I can let up and just gently hold him - and just really tighten my grip if it is absolutely essential he doesn't jerk at all

I'm talking to him throughout and when that bit of cutting is done it's all praise and cuddles.

I wish I could actually explain to him that if he sucked it up and let the clipper happen he'd be completely donw, nose to tail in about 45 minutes - instead of it taking approximately 3 x 1.5 hour groom trips to make it round his full body

OMG - right? Like, just give me 3 minutes and you'll be able to see better!! So frustrating. I do the same, cuddles and praise. If I find myself getting frustrated and short, I stop because it's just a negative experience for all then.

@BigV - all the other pictures have been up for a while
@Clod - no worries. I'm just lazy with all the steps to take to get pictures on posts these days. I'll repost when I get a second

bbro · 1/10/2021 12:24 pm

Pics with imgbb links

NYE Dogs

Tess glamour shot

Max giving me guilt as I leave to go look at houses

Clodfobble · 1/10/2021 1:33 pm

Wow, they already look so much healthier than when you took them in!

bbro · 1/10/2021 1:52 pm

Clodfobble wrote:
Wow, they already look so much healthier than when you took them in!

Thanks!

I actually took them back to their former home over xmas. I had to go see my father for a few days. They barely acknowledged him. They weren't at all excited to be back there. It was weird. Of course he complained about it, but when they did walk over, he ignored them in favor of his phone. I pointed it out and he half heartedly pet them. Like, what did you expect you ass??

I'm also happy to report that Max has lost enough weight to be able to see a differentiation between his rib cage and hips. They both need to go to the vet next month, so I'm hoping they'll put him back on a normal diet

Limey · 1/10/2021 4:22 pm

These pix make me smile. You are Doing Good right there!

bbro · 1/10/2021 7:36 pm

Here's a comparison of Max's weight loss. I am shocked! It's so much more than I thought it was!!
Before

Now

fargon · 1/10/2021 7:38 pm

Good looking Dog.

bbro · 1/28/2021 5:42 pm

OMG - I was poking around old cellar and found this picture of the dogs as babies!!
http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=950114&postcount=90

BigV · 1/29/2021 6:51 pm

???

picture is cloudy

bbro · 1/29/2021 7:23 pm

BigV wrote:
???

picture is cloudy

bbro · 2/22/2021 7:05 pm

PROGRESS! I was able to cut Tess's feet (badly, but I was trying to hurry). I got about 3/4 done before she started getting jumpy. I count it as a win. I also was able to put musher's secret on her feet today without too much trouble. And that was after I cut some matts away from around her butt. That was a lot harder. I'm having trouble keeping her matting controlled on her back end. I tried two different products and neither worked. I'm so close to trying coconut oil as suggested by one website. I think I need to get one of those flat rectangle brushes. I do have high hopes that I'll be able to cut her completely when warm weather arrives, though. SO COOL!

It kills me when she uses her butt as a pillow

BigV · 2/22/2021 7:19 pm

flat rectangle brush aka slicker brush.

be gentle, I know you will, those brushes clear out all tangles

bbro · 2/22/2021 7:49 pm

BigV wrote:
flat rectangle brush aka slicker brush.

be gentle, I know you will, those brushes clear out all tangles

That's the one! They actually work? I'm so hesitant to buy things then get them and they don't work as advertised. I'm honestly thinking of combining the coconut oil and brushing before bath time one day.