Dogs

HEY I MIGT BE GETTING A DOG, BUT MY PARENTS ARE A LITTLE HARD….Ive been perswaiding them, mom told me to do some reserch about the yearly amount for health care and just care…If anyone here has a dog 1st what kind, and 2nd whats the care price about…..

If you get a puppy, the first year is rather pricy, due to all the vaccinations they require that first year. After that, they only need booster shots once a year, so the price gets better. What I would do, is call some of your local vets. Many will offer a "package" deal with a puppy for all it’s vaccinations, rabies shot and even spay or neutering. You could also check to see if you have a low cost clinic around you.

My dog is part collie. She has the typical collie red top coat and she has a gray undercoat. I found this out when I had her shaved for the summer. I have never seen this before. What breeds have this gray undercoat?
Are there any others? Her gray is lighter than the liver color of a Weimaraner. Anyone have this with their dog when shaved?

Where did you get her from?? A breeder? A shelter? Pet store?
Does she look like a full-bred collie?
I haven’t researched yet, but it may be possible that this could just be her natural color of the undercoat.
Huskies for example can be black and white in color but the undercoat is usually white to gray.
Keeshonds are a breed that has a gray undercoat, black poms too! I’m sure there are others but I can’t think of them at the moment — when I remember I’ll post again.

If you don’t remember this product, but know of another that also promotes dog health and longevity I’d appreciate it if you’d share the name of the product. Thanks.
Thanks for your answer Smiley. You said your Dad used to use it. Do you know if they still make it; if not, does your Dad use a different product now?

i remember it my dad used to but it for our 3dogs

I see dogs drinking muddy water at the park all the time. Can this make them sick? How about muddy tennis balls? Have you ever known any dogs that get sick from drinking muddy water? What kind of disease?

Hypothetically, yes. Standing water can carry diseases that have been deposited in the environment by other sick animals such as parvo or leptospirosis. It can also contain loads of bacteria and microorganisms that could upset the natural balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract. It could also contain intestinal parasites that had been deposited in the stool of infected animals. However, unless your dog is very young, very old, ill, or unvaccinated, the likelyhood of them actually becoming very sick from drinking muddy water is pretty slim. The bacteria in the water could cause some vomiting or diarrhea, but probably nothing to worry about unless it continued for more than 24 hours, but the chances of them catching a lethal disease is pretty small. Just don’t let them drink too much, make sure they have fresh water available, and moniter their eating, drinking, and elimination habits anytime they have been exposed. Same goes for lake or river water.

my dog bred with another she will 3 weeks pregnant on friday.can any one tell me what her symptoms would be at this stage. Her nipples now look perky and not flat.

She might not show for another couple of weeks. Pregnancy should be around 60-64 days. Symptoms at this stage may simply be reduced activity and increased appetite. Physically you might not notice anything until around day 40.

Are you sure you should be breeding her, if you don’t know very much? It’s risky to her and only contributes to pet overpopulation.

im looking for sled dogs does anybody own any and is willin to sell 2 or 3 that are trained

Are you sure you can accomadate them?

Sled dogs need at least an hour of exercise every day, especially a trained one.

We live in the uk and have to move to Canada early next year. We have a boxer dog aged 3 and would really like to take him with us, but the vet has told us boxer dogs dont take to travelling well and it can have a serious effect on him. Has anyone had any experience of taking a boxer abroad and was the dog ok afterwards. He’s a great dog and we really do not want to leave him behind, but obviously we want to do whats best for him. thanks x

Hi,
We bought a boxer dog when living ex-pat in Oman, as a pup, so at end of contract, years later, we brought him "Gandolf" back to the UK.
The vet gave me some sleepy pills for the flight to put in Gandolfs innards, so he was comfortably oblivious to the flight in a large kennel-like box.
He was picked up at Heathrow by another vet, and taken into quarantine for 6 months. Well looked after, and visited once a week.
He missed leaping around in the surf, but otherwise fine.
The total cost of transit was about £1000

Bob

I mean, they are! We have been searching for them for ages and can’t find any apart from ones from the US and way up north (I live in London). I mean, compare the bichon frise to a maltese! Basically the same dog only with different hair-dos! Yet bichon frises are everywhere and are about £350, wheras malteses are NOwhere, and cost approx £1500!!!
Any dog people know why? I want a maltese more than a bichon frise!!!!!

(I prefer their hair-dos which is why lol)

Here, in the USA, Maltese are expensive, but you can usually find one. They are so expensive because most Maltese females have to have a vet deliver the puppies by
C- section. That procedure alone is a very expensive operation. Also Maltese do very poorly with anesthesia, so
they usually require a longer stay at the vet hospital than other dogs who have c sections. For this reason, most maltese females are only physically capable of having 1 litter in their life time. Usually there are only 3 or 4 puppies per litter, sometimes just 2 puppies.
Most breeders are very selective about who they allow to purchase these special puppies. The biggest majority
of breeders are going to be looking for the following
qualities in a buyer before they approve one.
1. Older adult or couple. 30s and up preferably.
2. Stable home enviornment. (Good job, owns home or pays a mortgage, plans to live in area a long time.)
3. Has owned or does own another adult dog.
4. Has superb vet references regarding care provided to that dog.
5. Has fenced back yard.
6. If they have young children, are the children well behaved and under control. If not, the dog usually won’t be…so no sale.
7. Is the house neat and reasonably clean ?
8. Non smokers are preferable, as small dogs especially develop lung problems around cigarrette smoke.

Hope this helps.

I used to prefer dogs to cats, because dogs are known to be loyal. However, I saw my friend’s cat recently and it was really cute. I also heard that cats are cleaner and less smelly; but dogs cause less allergies.

So my question is, how does a pet dog compare to a pet cat? Which one is more suitable for me? I like a pet that is quiet, easy to take care of, and loves me.

Thank you.

There are cats and dogs both that would qualify, and cats and dogs that won’t.
Dogs, as pack animals, are instinctively loyal and want to please you.
Cats are more independent. The cat may love you, and enjoy playing or snuggling with you, or just being in the same room. But it does not really occur to a cat to think of pleasing you.
Cats use a litter box (their mothers teach them how) and so you can keep them in the house and they do their own pottying. A dog has to be taken outside periodically.
The litter box may smell, though. Some people don’t like having a litter box in the house.
Dogs are easier to train, because of their instinctive desire to please. Dogs are good to play with outdoors and take walks with. They will usually be happy to be part of whatever activity you want to get them into.
A cat will keep your house free of rodents. Even a cat that doesn’t catch rodents will always notice when one comes into the house, and will chase it. Most dogs are indifferent to this. A dog will tell you when anybody comes to your house, and will defend you if you are attacked.
A cat will not think of notifying you of anything, unless the cat wants something. A sociable cat will approach visitors and greet them. If the cat isn’t that sociable, it will ignore or avoid visitors. Cats will almost always flee from a conflict, and it is extremely rare for a cat to defend its owner from attack.
Although both cats and dogs are technically predators, most dogs don’t hunt, if they are fed. Cats feel compelled to stalk and hunt rodents, birds, and other small animals. Sometimes they eat them, sometimes they bring them home to you, sometimes they just play with them. If you have a pet bird or mouse, be careful about getting a cat. It is not impossible to keep them in the same home, but you can’t trust a cat with them. I have had dogs that would never harm a small animal, because they know I don’t want them to, so they just adopt my attitude.
I could go on and on, I am just fascinated by animals.

My dog does not need as much excercise as she used to. She’s inside from 7 a.m to 4:30 p.m and she used to need at least two hours, not continously, of walking before she would go to sleep at 8 p.m. Now all she needs is two thrity minute walks and she’s ready for sleep. She’s been like this for about a month and she’s nearly 7 years old. She is a mixed breed, stocky build but usually high energy dog about 60 pounds. Is this something I should be worried about?

Has your dog been gaining weight? Weight gain can slow down a dog, as can age. As this is a sudden decrease in activity level, you should definately take your dog to the vet. There could be an underlying medical reason she suddenly has less energy.

Other common symptoms to watch for:
- loss of appetite
- external injuries (sprained muscles, sore spots)
- changes in elimination patterns/consistency
- changes in her stool
- changes in her general mood