Troy - The saga continues. ANOTHER update inside

First topic message reminder :

So I have just come back from the vet £130 lighter.

Troy appeared to be itching his ears badly and then started rubbing against the walls and rolling on his back. I could tell there was something wrong with him so took him to the emergency vets.

The vet advised that he has discharge in the ears caused by ear infection. The patches on his head are from a chronic skin allergy as the insides of the ears are dry and cracked, the ear infection is a knock on from the skin problems.

They gave him steroids for the pain and a sedative so he could sleep. Got some ear drops to be applied for a week too and some flea treatment too. Because it was emergency hours they could not do skin scrapes tonight so have to go to another consultation.

The poor little sod has been dealing with moving home, new owners, ear infection and allergies.

Should of checked him over better but I'm no vet, it wasn't obvious to me until it was shown under his ears and I thought nothing of the patch on his head.

To top it off I never had the insurance sorted, only had him a day after all! So none of this is covered. It's not the initial spend that bothers me but depending on the outcome it could be something that needs regular treatment for life.

The vet said it could be an allergy to pollen, fleas, something in his food and things like that.

The vet advised this was also something that had gone on for a while and he has had multiple ear infections. By the looks of his ear canals.

Well I said I would rescue a dog and I definitely got a dog in need! I knew it was too good to be true, I have very bad luck and always get screwed.

Where do I stand with these costs and any spend depending on the outcome of the skin problems? Are there any groups or organisations that can help with costs of treatment considering my circumstances? Only had him a day. I planned for the cost of food and insurance etc but obviously insurance won't cover this now. Fingers crossed its an easy to treat nominal cost procedure.

Guess its time to get a little sleep now. Troy has finally gone to sleep as he is drugged up

CMR,

My garden is flagged with stone lol. So I take him to the field which is literally 60 seconds from my door. I'll have to take treats with me in my pocket. Should I praise and treat in the middle of the deed or just after?

Caryll,

I do have a small cushion in there for comfort, came from his last home and a jumper with my scent. I'm sure he could brush them aside if he wanted to.

I will be walking him before I leave, play some games etc and tire him out. Wont leave anything out he could choke on, will leave radio on and chew toys etc.

Considering he never chewed the kitchen and has not shipment any signs of chewing...crate or not to crate...that is the question. I can't afford to buy a new sofa! lol

Personally, I'd crate him. At least until you're certain that he won't get into mischief. He's under enough pressure (and so are you!) already & it'd be awful if you came home & found your sofa in bits!

Thanks for the advice

Well although Murphy is only a puppy even though he is only been home a few days i have made great leaps with toilet training. He wees on puppy mats which he pretty much did when he got here but only twice/three times a day.
This is what has worked for me,

1. Take him out as soon as he has eaten, i take him out straight after breakfast and tea.
2. Establish a routine that works for you. we have walks with thom as soon as we wake which has resulted in no accidents over night. Then out in garden after breakfast. out at lunchtime and afternoon too. walks after dinner.
3. Understand there will be accidents adult or puppy and buy some deodorising carpet cleaner you can get this from most pound stores the spot on stuff is brill.
4. Stay calm dont be worried or anxious yourself it will transfer to your dog.

samprettypawsboutique wrote:
1. Take him out as soon as he has eaten, i take him out straight after breakfast and tea.
2. Establish a routine that works for you. we have walks with thom as soon as we wake which has resulted in no accidents over night. Then out in garden after breakfast. out at lunchtime and afternoon too. walks after dinner.

Take care! Dogs should not be walked for an hour either side of feeding, it can lead to gastric upset & bloat! Bloat is a very serious condition & can kill in a matter of an hour if it isn't spotted!

Sorry maybe i was not clear he gets walks before and taken out in the garden after i just ment it in a time frame sense. I am more than aware of bloat My Gsd died of it when i was a child.

well, clicker training helps clear up confusion for the dog as to what is being rewarded and u would use the clicker while he was in the act and if he was
well thought he would know to come to you for a treat. I don't like using it though so instead I talk (quite a lot I've been told) and praise whilst in the act and treat soon after.

you'd find some big eaters would stop half way through when clicked or praised and make their way over for the treat which is not good if you're in a rush to go out of the house

samprettypawsboutique wrote: I am more than aware of bloat My Gsd died of it when i was a child.

Oh, that's sad. I was lucky, Dempsey recovered, although he needed an emergency operation.

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Wait, so let me get this right.

You shouldn't walk your dog 1hr AFTER eating but you shouldnt also walk your dog 1hr before eating!? So I would have to walk Troy then wait 1hr BEFORE feeding him?

Pado wrote:WHAT?? - I had no idea you shouldn't walk etc BEFORE eating !! ... I figured not right after because of a full stomach but had no idea about before - I always figured it was like' okay, we're out hunting and working up an appetite and now its time to eat ... I've always fed Frank right after a walk or a play at the Park ... a lot of the time he's still panting ... I won't be doing that anymore ... THANK YOU! ... guess I'll be reading up on Bloat !

Gee wrote:Wait, so let me get this right.
You shouldn't walk your dog 1hr AFTER eating but you shouldnt also walk your dog 1hr before eating!? So I would have to walk Troy then wait 1hr BEFORE feeding him?

I know, it's a pain! But actually, you soon get into a routine. For example, Dempsey gets his morning walk as soon as I get up. Then, when we get back & have a shower, make the bed, tidy up etc & then give him his breakfast. Then about 3-4pm he gets his late afternoon walk, he gets back at about 4-5pm & gets fed at 6-ish. He then gets a shorter walk at about 11pm just before I go to bed.

Hmmm, yeah I see.

I've read that bloat is the second biggest killer in dogs after cancer and the majority of owners know nothing about it, I sure didn't!

I found some information on it, just look at the things it advises to do / not do in order to decrease the chances of it happening. I never knew all of this!

Includes things like them eating too fast, not having water 1hr before and after a meal, no walking 1hr before and after, eating dry foods only, drinking water too fast and gulping air.

Some of the things seem impossible to avoid.

http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm

Anyway,

Crated Troy yesterday while at work. I went in 1hr later..they didn't notice

He cried a little when I left but on my return he was relaxing. No bedding destroyed or anything like that. Is that a positive or could he destroy stuff if not crated?

Crated over night in my room again, cried for literally 10 seconds then just settled. Crating him on a night seems to help him and me. Stops him from waking, walking around, jumping on the bed so help both our sleep and probably curbs some of his anxiety. He used to go to the top of the stairs and cry.

glad that he seems to be okay in his crate..that is abit of relief for you!

yeah troy is a star

Yeah thanks guys.

I am not exactly sure how long he cries for when i leave him in the day, but he is relaxed when I get back and nothing is destroyed so this is a positive?

On a night, I guess he knows I am there and going to sleep too so just chills out. I wouldn't keep him in the crate over night if I knew he wasn't going to be restless throughout the night.

Troy sounds like he's improving, glad the crates are working out, has he had any accidents in the house for the last few days?

*Karen* wrote:Troy sounds like he's improving, glad the crates are working out, has he had any accidents in the house for the last few days?

He had no accidents, even went to the door when he needed to go, except for TODAY. He woke me up at 7am on queue as usual. I let him out of his crate and was getting ready to walk him. My GF went to the toilet at which point Troy followed and did a wee on the stairs.

He had been fine for days with no accidents so I don't know why he did it.

He's still learning and probably jus couldn't hold it any longer, you could try not letting him out for those couple of minutes that it takes u to get ready but depends how vocal he is!!

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*Karen* wrote:He's still learning and probably jus couldn't hold it any longer, you could try not letting him out for those couple of minutes that it takes u to get ready but depends how vocal he is!!

Yeah I'm gonna leave my walking clothes in my room, dress while his in the crate and take him straight out.

Pado wrote:IMO Troy was probably never completely house trained by his previous owner - just another fib to add to the list of fibs this guy told ... but sounds like you are making incredible progress with him in every way - including house breaking.... one wee on the stairs not bad IMO

Yup, I suspect this also. The day I was taking him he was saying to bring him back if he was too much to handle. Made me suspicious once he started pooping and peeing in the house. Think some was still anxiety though but he is doing well.

Just to let you know that Troy went to the vets on Monday and they said his ear infection looks to have gone. He does have some crud down there due to repeat infections, so I have some serum which brings it to the top and then I wipe it away.

He also had his booster and the change of diet seems to be improving the skin condition so the vet said stick with it as it can take 8 weeks to see real improvements but I see them already.

Oh, he had his booster too

well done

I think you're doing a fantstic job with him! He was really lucky the day you came to get him!

Thanks a lot people.

He goes straight into his crate on a night without a fuss. Makes a racket in the morning though to go out for his walk. 7am on the dot. 6:30am depending on how tired he is!

He still moans if I leave him in a room by himself and claws at the door. He has learnt he can't come in the bathroom though and just waits outside for me so he is learning.

He does cry when I leave him in his crate in the living room for a bit but on my return he is laid down chilling with nothing chewed.

How long should I get him used to being in his crate before I can leave the crate door open when I leave? I don't THINK he is a chewer but he looked like he was going to start nipping the corner of my rug the other day until I told him NO! LOL

You could try it bit by bit. Leave him in the crate with the door pulled almost shut. Then come back in 30 minutes & see. If he's ok, do the same a gain but for longer. Once you're happy that he's happy (and not destroying anything) you can leave the door wide open & he should hopefully just use it as his safe 'den'.

He'll be out of the crate before I've even left the room if I don't bolt it shut, believe me!

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Pado wrote:You many not have won the Lotto but someone in your house knows what its like to have won. Troy sure hit the jackpot when you found him - Who knows how long he suffered with ear infections and itchy bad skin and god only knows what else - His story is such a heart warming one. A true Rags to Riches story !

Only advice I can give is "what would I do in that situation" ... if I was testing Troy and I had a basement, that's where I would start. I'd test him for a couple of hours (ex: next time you go see a film) ... Put his crate in the basement 'open' with LOADS of his toys and chew things in the crate and around it AND some of your personal items... example: a pair of shoes - a throw pillow - etc ... but place those items not on the floor with his toys (so he knows they are not for him to play with) ... place them on a chair or something. See if he sticks to playing with his toys or decides to pull your stuff into the mix ... hopefully he'll decide to play and chew only 'his" toys and then go to sleep in a familar place his cosy crate

Love your Avatar BTW

Thanks for the kind words.

I have had him in the basement before and he goes nuts trying to get out. I never had a crate then though, so I guess I could try again with it down there.

Would it potentially set him off even worse as he staying in the basement where he is not used to being kept or will that make him more liable to seek out his crate for comfort?

I am so interested in following your story... yes Troy is a lucky fella indeed the day you walked into his life.

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For the record ive always left my Diesel in the main house - only downstairs, but my house is full open plan downstairs.

She has NEVER chewed anything she shouldnt have had.

I always leave her will a filled Kong and her other chew toy has smaller holes I can force a bit of ham or sausage into it - longest ive left her is about 4 hours.

She was fine

I trust her fully tbh. My house is kid proofed anyway so I guess that carries over to dogs !

Gee wrote: I never had a crate then though, so I guess I could try again with it down there.

Would it potentially set him off even worse as he staying in the basement where he is not used to being kept or will that make him more liable to seek out his crate for comfort?

Wherever you leave him, put his crate. As he's happy sleeping in a crate at night, he might well welcome the safety it would give him when he's alone during the day.

Hi.

I did not read throug all the posts, so this might have beenmentioned by someone else. The vets can do an extensive allergy test - they scrape open a piece of skin and test for more than 200 differentagents related to allergies. Based on the outcome, they provide a serum that targets the specific allergy, be it grass, pollen, fleas etc. This is somewhat expensive, but can be more cost efficient in the long run.

We had a little boy who was just as bad in terms of his skin and allergies. We changed his diet, which had some possitves. We added additional omega fatty acids to his food (in oil form we got from the vet), which help the hair and skin from the incide out, this also seemed to relieve some of the itching. Im sorry to say,but vets are way to quick in their use of steroids, which in the long run can be very harmful. We then turned to some holistic therapies, some of which worked brilliantly and others not so much. In spending almost 3 years with patchy hair loss and itching, I found that the most useful was the cheapest option in the end. I got so tired of pumping the dog full of drugs, additives etc fot the hair to grow back and the skin to itch less. I did a bit of research, and used the following. I bought normal aques cream, and put pure vit e oil (normal vit e capsules i drained) into it and smeared the dog. This wasn't harmfull if licked. On more severe days i used aloe gel, which has so many healing properties. I put some of the gel in the ears as well, kept the fleas etc away, and also helped with the healing of the infection.

Hope this helps and hope you come right

Hello,

Thanks for all of the replies.

I was thinking maybe I should not test him out of the crate until I can leave the home without him crying. At least I know he is in a calm state then? He still shows some signs of anxiety. Cries when I leave the house, follows me to every room.

He has learning he is not allowed in the bathroom and doesn't make much of a fuss when I close the door. I am shutting doors behind me every now and again too.

The only problem is, I go back to work full time next week and I don't want to other do the use of the crate. It would mean he would be crated in the morning until midday, my brother would call down and walk him, spend a little time with him and them crate him again until I got back from work.

He is also crated on a night (which he is fine with), so I am afraid of over using the crate? What you think?

I will definitely leave chew toys and treats around, but when I leave him I'm not sure he shows much interest in them.

Duke of Lorraine,

Thanks very much.

His ears have cleared up a lot since changing his diet. The vet said it can take 8 weeks to clear all the stuff out of his body since the new diet so I am going to leave it a couple of months until we do the skin scrapping. The vet advised to leave it for now as the change of diet seemed to be having some affect.

I will definitely look into the creams etc you have mentioned if we do see any progress.

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Yeah I always do this. Seemed to work better today, I stuffed his Kong with treat, put it in his crate, popped him in and left straight away. I stood outside for a few minutes and never heard him cry, but he probably did once he realised I'd left.

The other major bug bear with him at the moment is his pulling and whining trying to get to other dogs and cats. I think he just wants to meet and greet them but he whimpers, moans and pulls so much it is becoming hugely embarrassing.

Billy was like that pulling so we have a head halti, if you don't fancy that try a harness, when we take Billy out I have loads of treats and that works also

Good luck

Im going to try the watch command with him or reinforce a noise that means he has to look at me.

Whenever I leave Tyson, I either fill a cong with his kibble sealed with peanut butter or leave him a few biscuits. Wierd thing is he will clear his cong when I am gone but will only eat the biscuits the moment I return. In fact he does not come to me unless the bsicuits are finished.

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Yeah I am going to use treats to start then slowly wean him off them until he does what he is told without them.

And yeah there is a lot I don't think the previous owner did.

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Well actually you're right on topic.

He met another Staffy in town last week and had a sniff etc and was fine, no hackles up or other signs of aggression to my knowledge. Just sniffing and tail wagging, seemed like he just wanted to play.

He met a puppy too and was fine with that.

Now tomorrow I may be meeting a friend with a female Staffy and on Sunday a small terrier.

How should they be introduced, any tips?

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No he was calm. He was on the leash but didn't try anything funny. Even when the other dog snapped he never reacted.

And thank you

I am a firm believer in walking dogs to be introduced together before introductions on neutral ground.

Over the weekend I will walk them together before introducing. However, I just had another chance encounter with another dog on the street. It was a female 8 month Pitbull / Mastiff cross.

They were sniffing happily, not hackles up on Troy, no aggressive behaviour. Tail was wagging and was trying to initiate play by the looks of things.

Once he said hi, we walked away and he still looked in the dogs direction but there was no loud whining or extreme pulling in their direction. It seems once he has he introductions over with he is fine. But I can't jog across the road everytime I see a dof and let him sniff in order to stop him pulling and whining lol

Once he said hi, we walked away and he still looked in the dogs direction but there was no loud whining or extreme pulling in their direction. It seems once he has he introductions over with he is fine. But I can't jog across the road everytime I see a dof and let him sniff in order to stop him pulling and whining lol

That's normal. Romeo will pull and moan to say hello to another dog even now.