Am I over worrying?

Couple of health related questions.

1 - If you allow your dog to play with a noseball / boomer ball and he/she charges around endlessly with it once you remove it do they need time to get their breath back?
Reuben will play with it for 15 minutes max, but it is a very intense 15 minutes charging around and barking and he needs a good drink afterwards but walks back home very slowly for say 5 mins.

2 – At night time does your dog get really lazy?
Reuben will settle down about 8pm and will hog the fire, lie on the settee and literally not move, even to go to the loo. When I want to put him to bed I literally have to pull him off the settee and he will slide off and flop onto the floor. On occasion I have had to pick him up off the floor to get him moving, he is fine once he is up and about. Other nights he will get up, trot outside and then go to bed.

The reasons I ask these questions is that I mentioned the noseball issues to the vets. I explained that I would not expect a dog so young to be so out of breath, but that the charging around is very intense. I also mentioned that we can play with other dogs for up to an hour and he is OK and we can throw tennis balls etc and although he is panting he walks normally. I always take water with us when we go out as he always needs a drink after his exercise.

She has suggested that I have blood tests done to rule out a problem with his heart if I am worried about it, but the honest answer is that I do not know if I am worrying unnecessarily?

Jack was very much the same but he was a lot older when we homed him (7yrs), we always thought he was lazy and very laid back. When he was 12yrs he had an issue with his heart which the vets never got to the bottom of as he developed lung cancer very quickly and passed away. As they never established why he collapsed (they know his heart missed a couple of beats) we wondered if he had always had a problem since homing him and that is why he was so laid back, but we will never know

Take a look at his gums after he's been playing with his nose ball. They should be a nice pink colour. If it will give you peace of mind have the test done.

WOW steady up. Your vet is seeing the pound signs i would say.

There is nothing wrong with your boy he is normal.

The noseball issue is normal, Indi will have a good 5 min warm up then he gets his ball but during that warm up he knows what is coming and he runs himself ragged. Mentally he is wound up and physically he is as he is getting his favorite toy. He will then run around like a total nuter for up to 20 to 30 mins with it. YES he needs time to recover but so would anyone after such intense exercise! After a cool down i put him in the car and its all he can do to jump up. When he gets home he flops on the floor and sleeps.

Of an evening my guys all settle and reluctantly move, not because anything is wrong with them but cause they are winding down for the night as they know their routine.

I really and truley feel that your lad is ok aas he is doing nothing else than i would expect my dogs to do and know they all do at present.

I would not waste your money at the vets.

Gracie will go mental with the noseball then drink about a gallon of water, and then sleep. All of mine also slob out from about 8pm, they will move to ask to go outside or if someone gets off a chair they move to be more comfortable, I also have to call them to go to bed and again Gracie has to physically woken up and poked off the sofa!

Sure Reuben is ok

same here ...sometimes i cant even move Trouble of a night time so i leave him he soon drags himself up the stairs once he realises he is left on his own ...sometimes my daughter carries him outside to go for his evening pee...he certainly has a very lazy bone in him

Cassie is the same, when playing she wears out really quicky and just lays down, but she can walk at a steady pace for a long time, I wouldnt worry

slev is the same, he drinks looads after playing with his noseball. i think like maistaff said, because its so intense. and he always settles at around 7.30pm and is out like a log! xx

Thanks all, as soon as she said heart problems my mind just went back to this time last year.

just check his gums for me after he's been playing with his noseball.

Will do Oxide, it will most likely be weekend now as it is dark when I take them out in the morning and evening so they cannot go off lead

Hope Rueben's ok Jo. Ruby is the same, after 7pm at night she mostly just slobs on the back of the sofa behind me. Occasionally, if she's that way inclined she will play at night but not often. Checking his gums is a good idea, if they are pink that's a good sign, we used to do this with Elli before and after we took her swimming.

The only one I can answer is the second question. Around 8 pm Harley will settle and sleep

- Havent got a noseball (where could i get one from as i would like to see if patch will play with one)
Patch does get fairly tired out after having a run about and will walk a bit slower on the way home, he will then drink loads and be fine not long after.

Does the gum thing work for after any intensive excercis?

- Patch gets sleepy around 7:30/8:00pm he will lie on the floor at our feet and be very calm (i love him when he is sleepy i could lay with him all night!)

Hi Mattchewone

Here is the link for the nose balls

http://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/advertising-forum-f89/noseball-t13083.htm?highlight=noseball

jake settles around 8pm and snores for the rest of the nite. We also have to almost drag him off the sofa when we go to bed and he reluctantly goes outside for his wee, but is clearly unhappy, he then gets straight snuggled back down to sleep and is there til i wake him up at about 8ish the next morning. he's very lazy..like the rest of the family!!

Barney plays full force, and rests full force. In the afternoon he will take a nap and become nearly comatose. The only time I've seen him flop down like you described, though, was when it was really hot. He does not do well in the heat, even with ample water. He's a cold weather guy. And even slight activity in the heat will really wear him out very fast. Because of a burst of energy and playing all out, he is a sprinter and doesn't do well for the long haul because he does not pace himself easily. Barney is an expert rester... it is no wonder that 99% of his pictures are modified sleeping and napping positions. He wouldn't tire so easily I think if he didn't go gang busters. And I think going gang busters is part of being a staffie.

JO, i have one word for you.... Honey lol she does not MOVE if she's sleepy and comfortable, I still have to carry her about at home you know!

Yes I know, the gorgeous Honey x
It was with the vet mentioning the heart I went into a bit of a panic tbh. You have seen Reuben at class and he goes hell for leather with the other dogs but with his Boomer it really takes it out of him.
I am going to check his gums at weekend after a jaunt with the ball just to be sure.

Oxide - we went out today and had a play with the nose ball. I checked his gums and they were still pink