The official EN World puppy/doggo thread

[Dannyalcatraz]

The historical problem I personally have with grooming is the nails. Between the abundance of fur & the opacity of (some of) their nails obscuring what I can see plus some dogs’ tendencies to squirm or yank while getting their paws done, I’m almost to the point of having it done by pros 100% of the time. I cut too closely on our younger one last December. Blood everywhere for a bit befoe I could get it stopped.

We have a grinder, and one dog who loved it so much, she’d close her eyes, roll belly up and hold her paws in the air. Just as you’d finish up the task, she‘d present a paw for you to start over. The others since then? They‘re not fans at all. Like Maggan’s dog, that buzz gets them nervous.

 

[Beleriphon]

I envy you nice dog people that have critters that let them get close with scissors or clippers. I have cats, the hum sounds like an angry cat and my beasts lash out something viscous.

That said, my wife and I have been considering getting a poodle (or two....). So clippers, well larger ones, will likely be needed. My wife wants to have a poodle with a show cut at least once. I think what cemented it was our vet has a client with two poodles that adore people, and they decided my wife and I, along with one of our cats, would be their new best friends and promptly abandoned their owners once they spotted us. They immediately came over and plopped their heads in our laps. This is the first time we'd ever met the dogs.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My Maine Coons were amazingly knot free. Regular brushing and combing sufficed for most of their grooming needs.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I can barely see as I post this.

We are currently facing the real possibility that we may lose our younger dog to an as-yet undiagnosed ailment. We should know in the next 24hrs. She’s at the pet hospital our regular vet uses for his dogs, so I know she's in good hands.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Update: she’s better, but not out of the woods. They STILL don’t know what’s attacking her, but they knocked a couple more of the worst off the list. We’re cautiously optimistic.

 

[Umbran]

Update: she’s better, but not out of the woods. They STILL don’t know what’s attacking her, but they knocked a couple more of the worst off the list. We’re cautiously optimistic.

Oh, geeze. Fingers crossed.

My one piece of advice - in the midst of the emotional turmoil of your pet being in danger, it can be easy to walk out of the doctor's office not really understanding what is going on, and that can make it hard to make decisions. So, make the vet explain until you understand. Any one worth their salt will not mind.

And, if you need someone who understands vet care to talk to, you know where to reach me.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Unfortunately/fortunately, because I grew up/live in a medical household, a lot of the lingo is familiar. Almost anything I don’t get, Dad (MD) can explain.

I understand why the vets- much like their MD counterparts- try to soft-pedal bad news. But because I know just enough, I do tend to jump ahead to the more common demons when they mention certain symptoms.

But like I said, C. Merle is being quite the mystery, because they’ve all but eliminated the worst of the worst. So all my jumps to conclusions have been wasted worrying so far. The last update, the possibility was floated that she’s going to be on immunosuppressive meds the rest of her life if she pulls through.

Thanks for the offer of your wife’s services, though. I might still ask for insight if I have questions about her long term quality of life.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Update: she’s probably coming home tonight! Her temp is normal, and she’s been eating again. She removed her own pain drip, so clearly Herself is pretty much feeling Herself again.

Diagnosis: she has an autoimmune disease

ITP in Dogs

Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (ITP) in DogsBy Professor Michael Herrtage, James Warland, Andrew Kent & Julien BazelleThe Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, University of CambridgeThrombocytes, or platelets, are the body's first defence against bleeding. They are tiny fragments of cells in...

www.itpsupport.org.uk

They‘re giving her an injection of a particular chemotherapy drug to kickstart her platelet factory back into gear, and it looks like she’s going to be on oral steroids, as I understood, for life. Vet said of all the autoimmune diseases a dog could get, this is the one to get.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Not all the tests are back...BUT MY DOG IS!!!

She seems to be almost back to normal. Still a little weak. Still a little tentative.

Even though she’s been on anti-tick meds, a tick bite remains one of the main suspects as what could have triggered her immune system going haywire. If that’s what the tests indicate, we’ll have to get an exterminator out to treat the yard...AND advise our neighbors- most of whom have dogs, kids or both- to do likewise.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My tough little sweetie: