Maralynn

Probiotics might be worth adding. FWIW, I’ve been really happy with how Kenzi is doing on Bright Mind 7+ kibble. It’s higher protein/higher calorie. Maybe a kibble that just has higher calories would help

I don’t stop by the boards that frequently anymore and am just now seeing this. It’s a beautiful tribute to a wonderful relationship. I’m sorry for the huge hole he left behind.

I trained for therapy work without a class. I went with Alliance of Therapy Dogs because they had local testers. UKC has a nosework program.

I used a basic “H” harness during that time. It worked really well for my dogs.

I’ve bought two puppies and had a pretty good idea of what I was getting with each. The breeder knew their dogs, was open about everything and could make suggestions based on my needs. And those pups remained consistent as they grew. I saw the parents, saw what related dogs were doing, saw the health testing and knew that there was an excellent chance that they’d be well suited for me. I watched Tess grow up from day one and still see some traits that I first saw in whelping box videos. Genetics are a powerful thing. Yes, puppies are a bit of a crap shoot. Stuff happens. But nicely bred/purpose bred pups aren’t *that* huge of a crap shoot with a semi experienced owner. It’s why I went back to the same breeder for a second pup from the same dam. IMO, a bigger issue is knowing what you want in a pup, then being able to ask the right questions and recognize it in breedings that you’re considering. And then being able to be proactive in raising said pup.

That is super high for what they’re selling. If I’m paying that much for a dog I want health testing done and good working ability proven. I paid $800 for each of mine. Border Collie DNA health panel/hip checked parents and the pups were BAER tested. Kolt’s parents were both nice farm dogs but it was a repeat litter and the older ones had turned out super nice. Tess’s mom is the same but dad is open level USBCHA (just out of the bubble for finals this year).

Yup - that’s what I found, too. Thanks for the other recommendation! It sounds like a nice litter. They definitely do want to wait until next year due to current life circumstances and they do want a female this time as they recently lost an older female.

Does anyone know anything about Irish Woods Stockdogs in West Virginia? I have a friend looking for a pup next year and this is one breeder who was suggested to them. They will be training for SAR but definitely want a working bred dog. They currently have a rescue Border Collie with some genetic based quirks so they’re hoping to get a mentally/environmentally stable dog with a well bred pup. PMs are fine!

Thanks Mark. I missed that discussion

An interesting video that I saw the other day. Any thoughts?

My smoothies shed as much as my rough one. The difference is that the hair falls out of the smooth ones easier. The rough coats tend to trap the hair a bit more so it kinda waits for you to brush it out. The smooths are a LOT easier to keep clean in the great outdoors though

My dog tested positive after I noticed that he was letting another dog win at tug games and acted weird/edgy a couple times playing tug with me. No other symptoms and otherwise seemed quite healthy and normal. After the first three days of doxy he was back to tugging with gusto. Based on this, I’d absolutely treat a dog who tested positive even if they were pretty normal. The bacteria could be doing some level of damage.

We had so much fun last year that we went again this year. Kolt rocked the 4.25 miles course and all the obstacles! there were some doozies - Culverts, 1/4 mile through a rocky creek, mud crawls, concrete hurdles, A-frames, plunges into pools to name a few. We bettered our time from last year and managed to finish in the top 10% in the women’s division!

Okay then. Doing some basic research is always helpful. And it’s not rude to suggest it. When we understand stuff better, it reassures us in the decisions we make. Also talk to your local vet to get their input on the situation. Just vaccinate the puppy before bringing it home. The oral vaccine can be given at 8 weeks. Keep copies of your vaccine records. I write stuff on the last page of my calendar or stick it in my phone calendar. Remember that vaccinated dogs can still get kennel cough - vaccines for bacteria aren’t 100% effective. If it’s a huge worry to you, perhaps passing on this puppy and getting one a few months further down the road would be a good idea.

Has he been thoroughly checked out for signs of soreness? Hip dysplasia? Lyme disease?

I can’t offer anything but sympathy and well wishes at this point as my senior girl just had her third ortho surgery in 7 months. But I do send lots of those... FWIW, bracing can help greatly if by any chance surgery can’t happen. The cost would be closer to $1k

Surgery round 3 was Monday and I picked Tuesday. She’s well drugged and looks and acts surprisingly good all things considered. Still happy to interact with everyone at the vet and still didn’t want to leave. She knows the drill at home. Waits to be picked up for stairs. Waits to be picked up for the couch. Waits at the door for the bag to go on her foot. I sure hope this works this time.

Thanks for the well wishes. This has been tough. In doing some reading, apparently long term NSAID use can cause delayed bone healing. She’s been on NSAIDs for a while so I’ll talk to the surgeon about seeing it that should be changed. Her leg is getting obviously worse and more painful so I decided to forgo the echo for now and bump surgery up a day. Because I’m most likely going to opt to do it regardless. Sigh. I just want a comfortable senior dog at this point

So yeah. The repair failed. It took a couple weeks to figure it out because regular vet couldn’t identify what was going on and surgeon was out of town (and it can take a few days to get in there). For some reason, the bone never healed properly. And didn’t hold up. So now I have to decide if I want try to fix it again. Or amputate. I’m leaning towards trying to fix it again. Which they told me still has a really good chance of success. But in the mix of things we found a heart murmur. So she’s having an echo done next week and I have surgery scheduled for the next day. My poor dog. Does anyone have any info on why bones might not heal? Just want to make sure that I’m not missing something before sending her back for more surgery.

And the leg broke. I could feel it moving last night. Vet visit this afternoon. I’m pretty upset about all of this right now. My poor dog. And I’m exhausted.

I would ask for a course of doxycycline for a “shouldn’t hurt, might help” approach. Kolt had Lyme and the symptoms were very vague - a bit of stiffness and soreness. Two days of doxy and he was sooooo much more relaxed.

Kolt moves like Kiran. It’s fluid and powerful. Tess is less controlled. But she’s also faster. I try to throw the disc more so there’s a greater lead out so she has to power into it instead of being able to beat it and jump vertical

Bacteria culture came back. Positive for staph. She had developed a few minor pressure sores from the splint back in December shortly before the limping started. I’m guessing that could have led to this. She’s been a different dog since surgery. She was started on prophylactic antibiotics then which were appropriate for staph and she’s using her leg almost normally now. And she’s gone from acting “old” to “normal”. It’s soooo good to see.

I saw this website and trailer today and recognized the dog. His name is Henry and he’s an avalanche search dog. He was bred by the late Diane (her last name escapes me...) of Deltabluz who used to be a significant part of this forum. https://superpowerdogs.com/ https://people.com/pets/love-your-pet-day-superpower-dogs-chris-evans/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Superpower+Dogs&fbclid=IwAR1SAsQRc_EA8x0x4K9SEYbfUAFFhk1ZAPvK7PDXhq0kq3etUJn1WPp2FEg

Data wise, they have similar success rates. TPLO is the better established surgery but if a surgeon is proficient in TTA then it should be equally as successful. If there are any complications post surgery then the TPLO is easier to deal with/remove