Great Vets, Groomers, Dog Sitters, Dog Walkers, Etc.

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Comment by Karene on May 12, 2008 at 5:59pm

Well, Coco had her first vet appointment and all went extremely well! I was a little concerned because this was our first time going to this new vet and I know how Coco is nervous around some strangers. She shook like a vibrator in the waiting room and it got worse in the actual exam room. I thought she would shake herself into a blackout but they really knew how to ease her fright and only made her yelp once. They made me feel comfortable as well at Tigard Animal Hospital. If you don't have a vet yet or are looking for another one, try this place. Everyone was warm and genuine. Although our vet would be considered handicap, she made up for it in the magical way she knew exactly what Coco and I needed without asking. That is the sign of a wonderful doctor whether human or animal specialist.

Comment by elizabeth knight on May 2, 2008 at 11:26am

Does anyone know any good BIRD sitters???? 3 parrots need a sitter this summer....thanks

elizabeth

Comment by elizabeth knight on May 2, 2008 at 11:25am

To Oliver and Bogey's mom:
I think you're probably seriously frustrating him instead of redirecting his energy... see my original post...that will only make him bark more.... You need to get his ATTENTION WILLINGY on you instead of the stimulus. Reward the attention. That's where another obedience class would help. It's not about tricks...it's about partnership and attention! good luck

"We are walking him on a very short leash and making sure that he walks behind us.. not natural for him he is still pulling. When he starts having a barking fit, we tell him to SIT, an get down in front of him and say NO! But he just keeps doing it. He will only sit for a second, and then go crazy again. If anyone has other advice on what to do, please let me know."

Comment by Mary on May 2, 2008 at 2:49am

Sierra,
The first thing you should do is eliminate all chemicals from your home. No carpet shampoo, floor cleaner, Windex, etc. You can clean just about everything (including windows) with plain old white vinegar or a vinegar/water solution. You can use baking soda for scouring powder (add a little vinegar to make it super strong). I clean my hard floors with a Bissell Steam Mop (fast, easy, effective) and my carpets with the Hoover Agility Carpet Cleaner (cleaning solution made of 50% white vinegar and 50% super hot almost boiling water).

Next, to rule out food allergies, you must slowly get Warner used to a different protein source than what he is normally on (lamb, venison, etc.) Frankly, if I were you I would fast the dog for 12-24 hours then start him on raw meat with no grains or veggies (which are common causes of allergies). Ground meat to begin with, then go from there. if you need info on this, please email me and I will give you detailed info, as I have been raw feeding for over 1 year and it cured my Sheltie of the grain allergy that was causing him to lick his paws and front legs.

Next, I would take Warner to a Holistic Vet, preferbly one with a background in Homeopathy or Chinese medicine. I hear Holistic Pet Vet in Tigard and Dr. Chattigre at Cascade Summit are great, but I have not used them personally. I have also heard good things about Kindred Spirits. I will forewarn you....holistic vets tend to spend 1-2 hours speaking to you about your dog's entire life history, so the first visit may be expensive (mine was $176). However, it is WORTH IT:) The reason you have had to spend so much money to date is that allopathic medicine (traditional vets) suppress the symptoms and drive the problem deeper into the body, only to re-appear and actually cause a worse, more serious problem. Holistic vets treat the individual as a whole being and get your dog back in balance. Email me with any questions. I have been using holistic DVMs for over 1 year now with great results. Good luck!

Comment by Sunni and The Pack on May 1, 2008 at 2:04pm

The best way to handle the shyness is to expose her to as many situations as possible with you acting like none of it is any big deal. What we all tend to do when a dog is shy is coax it out of its "corner" or retreat, that is simply re-inforcing the behaviour. She will only hide so long, then become curious. As she starts to get braver IGNORE her, in fact, walk to another room or turn away from her. When she finds that no one is there to come after her, and she can become part of the "party" only by coming TO the fun she will start to come out of her shell

Comment by Karene on May 1, 2008 at 9:31am

Hi Mel,

Coco was like that with me when I picked her at Susan's. I made sure that when I got her home that no one but me took care of her until we bonded and then I showed her that I trusted my family members which after a little while she began to trust that they were okay. Coco still is a little shy but if she feels safe, she doesn't hide or run scared any more.

Last night at my son's TBall game, she was having so much fun, she seem to want to go home with anyone! It was hard to believe that this was the same puppy. Sorry that my advice isn't more profound but I am sure everyone has a little bit to add.

Good luck.

Comment by Mel Simrell on April 29, 2008 at 6:31pm

Hi everyone!
my goldendoodle is sooo shy when company comes over that many times she hides behind a chair and doesn't want to come out or avoids the room where they are-
Any advice for me ?

Comment by Laurie on April 23, 2008 at 8:32pm

Allergies are frequently environmental vs. food related (obviously sometimes both), and they too can develop out of nowhere. If you ever decide to have allergy testing done, don't do the punch test at a dermatologist's. You can get the same results from blood work submitted to the appropriate lab. I went through this with a dog and a cat, all the way to having the custom serum made up for injections, etc., and the results from the blood testing we had done a few months later came up the same. We decided at that point to take the holistic approach. More work, but much safer for your furry friend.

Comment by Oliver and Bogey on April 20, 2008 at 12:34pm

Hi Everyone, thanks so much for your advice!! He is a mutt, although everyone thinks he is a papillon. He is actually part chihuahua, part pomeranian, and part doxie. We are walking him on a very short leash and making sure that he walks behind us.. not natural for him he is still pulling. When he starts having a barking fit, we tell him to SIT, an get down in front of him and say NO! But he just keeps doing it. He will only sit for a second, and then go crazy again. If anyone has other advice on what to do, please let me know.

I called bark busters and although it's guaranteed, it's $595 bucks! That's a lot. Some asked if we had tried basic obedience training. He has done basic training already.. he sits, goes down, stays, gives hi-5, rolls over, shakes.

Comment by Cindy Green on April 20, 2008 at 9:54am

My two dogs (Hobbs-Keeshond (who I have since lost to old age) and Bud-Doxie) had similar skin conditions. They would get the red bumps with white heads on top. They would itch for a while, then scab up. When the scabbing was done their hair would come out. The vet indicated it was allergies as well. The allergies were causing a skin staff infection. Long term antibiotics helped clear up the infection plus a change of diet and a special shampoo (Sebalyt-I think thats how you spell it). It took a while for all the toxns to get out of their systems, but once they did, I have not had a problem since.

The more basic food allergies in dogs are: wheat, corn, chicken and beef. I buy top quality food without these ingredients.

Animals can get the same maladies as humans. Sometimes you need allergy testing to determine what is causing the allergy. It can be spendy but once you determine the allergin, your pet will feel better. Instead of doing all the needle allergy testing, there is a single blood test that can be done and that in itself can be tested for all sorts of allergins.

Good luck.

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