OurBoys

Beth, Is this vet the owner of the company or part of a group? Is there a separate billing dept? Maybe he's not aware exactly how billing works??? Check to see if they have that special credit card Liz P suggested. It also wouldn't hurt if you ask the vet or billing dept if they could give you a discount. For months I was taking our cat to the vet 1-3 times a week. She had blood in her urine. The vet put her on a number of different meds, taking urine samples, x-ray and an ultrasound. After bladder surgery, she developed complications. She started running a fever and her poor little belly swelled up like she swallowed a baseball. It seemed like there was one problem after another. One day I made the comment about how expensive it was getting. I can't remember the vet's comment but that's when I told her I had to turn in my notice at work due to the fact my mom had a double mastectomy and her radiation treatments lasted 2 weeks longer than my leave and the company wouldn't extend my leave and now I'm taking care of her. After opening up to her, she started cutting me some slack...only charging me for meds but not the office visit or charging me an office visit but not for an x-ray she took, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is....Is your vet in the business for the money or do they truly believe a pet is an actual member of the family and it's health is a priority? I'm not saying all vet's are like this but it's been my experience there are some vets out there who just show up to give shots. I've lost a couple of pets because the vet didn't want to pursue it further, didn't take me seriously when I said something was wrong. Your vet knows for a fact there's something wrong with Popcorn. If he won't work with you to get him the help he needs, I'd get a different vet. Trust me, they are all NOT alike. Some are definitely better than others. But that's just my opinion.

Golf, I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking, why did you pick a BC?

Same here. I saw lab/pit.

BorderC, My condolences......

You go, girl!! Don't raise Freckles as an only child! But at the same time, don't let Freckles feel like she's being 'replaced'. (Re: earlier post.) Jake worships the ground JJ walks on and JJ does not like for us to reprimand Jake. JJ will literally get in our face if/when we correct Jake. (DH ended up with JJ's nose in his mouth one time.) Good luck with the meeting! We'll keep our fingers and paws crossed for you.

Glad to hear Sara came thru the surgery and anethesia! By staying at the vet's she'll be able to get the much needed rest she'll need for a full recovery. I know you'll miss her terribly but she'll be home soon. Will continue to keep her in my prayers.

"they REALLY really needed their space" You're right. Having their own space/crate is essential. Jake is more energetic than JJ. Anytime JJ gets tired of Jake grabbing his tail and playing tug-o-war with it, he just gets up and goes to his crate. Jake respects JJ's space/crate so he doesn't follow and continue teasing JJ. When we adopted Jake, we didn't want JJ to feel like we got a 'replacement' so anytime possible, JJ goes first.....He gets his food bowl first, he goes out the door first, he gets the ball/frisbee thrown to him first, etc. They might seem like small, umimportant steps to us but in a dog's world the leader of the pack goes first.

Did the vet say how he could have gotten the bacterial infections? Regular weekly cleanings should be able to keep the infections down.

That does sound a bit odd. Even if your donors write a check, the vet can wait till the checks clear before applying the money to your account.

Is there a bc rescue service in your area? For a donation, they might dog-sit for you.

Beth, Don't pay any attention to anyone who says you can't take care of your dogs. Since they're happy, that should be proof enough. And you're obviously smart enough to try to keep them healthy. The 'system' is the problem, not you. A couple of things you can do is: #1-Don't take no for an answer. Keep trying the Univ. or #2-Call around to different vets and see if someone might know someone who has experience without being a specialist. When we adopted JJ he had a hygroma on his right elbow. After doing our research on what a hygroma was and how it should be taken care of, we were at odds as to which vet to take him to. I feel a lot of vets around here are not up-to-date on different conditions and we were scared if we made the wrong decision, we would end up with a 3 legged dog. When JJ's leg started swelling, we took him to the ER. The ER vet told us of a vet that wasn't a specialist but he had a lot of experience. The vet knew what he was talking about and it didn't cost as much as a specialist would have. Good luck and I'll keep you and Popcorn in my prayers.

Don't worry about the timing. Once you get thru the puppy stage, IMO 2 dogs are easier to care for than one. They'll have each other to play with and get tired. And we all know a tired pup/dog is a happy dog! Sometimes I take both boys out at the same time to play frisbee, sometimes just one at a time. I found out they can only play one at a time when it comes to playing tetherball. They learned how to team up and 'kill' the ball! Also, you guys can take both to classes at the same time (if financially possible) and rotate dogs. Your dogs will bond with (more) the person who gives them more command time. FYI-It's easier to handle 2 dogs on a coupler attached to a retractable leash than 2 separate leashes.

LJS1993, I don't see anything wrong with it. If a dog and cat can grow up together, why can't 2 females? Our next door neighbor had 2 female GS's who were 2 yrs apart in age and they got along. I think it would have to do more with personalities. 2 alpha dogs will not get along as well as 1 alpha and one omega. Is there some way you can introduce them to each other and see how they play together?

Glad his ear's doing better! Got the same instructions with the ear wash from the vet's (the ear drops had to stay in). We wicked it out with a tissue. I'm going to get fussed at here but we also cleaned it out with a Q-tip. The vet told us a dog's ear is L-shaped and we were careful. I agree with you. I think he's part Shepherd. He looks like a cuddly ol' teddy bear!

Yes...Pictures! How is Woobie's ear doing today?

Millie&MeBC, What is a shedding blade? Is it like one of those "Shed Ender" tools I've seen advertised on TV? JJ has very thick and very long britches. We try to keep them cut back but they also need to be thinned out. But the blade looks so short/small I wonder if it'll work.....

"Closest thing to a kid I ever had" Absolutely. JJ knows I'm the Alpha yet he is the kid that understands everything I say but still tests the limits. "OH there is magic in those eyes" The eyes, yes, the eyes. There's a wisdom and understanding in those eyes I've never seen in another dog. It's almost like they're human eyes in a dog's body. And their faces are so expressional!

Congrats!! I'm so happy and excited for you!!! Can't wait for the pictures!

Hi Tammy! I've had a number of different breeds of dogs in my life and I've always talked to them as if they were 4 legged people. (Weird, I know.) And they all acted like they knew what I was saying. With my bc's, they seem to actually understand what we say. Both boys have graduated from 3 obedience classes. During JJ's 1st class, his instructor told me once to stop and listen to him. Doing so, he's taught us a lot. (While we were in the process of adopting JJ, I told my DH dogs can understand words. He disagreed saying dogs can't understand words-they understand sounds. A few weeks later we were driving down the road and DH was whispering to me. I finally asked him why and he told me he didn't want JJ to hear him. I told him "Sweetie, JJ's hearing is a lot better than mine and if you whisper loud enough for me to hear, he's going to hear it too. You're just going to have to get use to the fact JJ easedrops.") With my boys, I found out, if I respect them, they will respect me in return. Respected past dogs and past dogs showed me respect but with JJ and Jake, I feel they respect me because they want to...Not because they were trained to. BC's are sensitive dogs. A 'no!' will work a lot faster than a swat on the butt. (I'm not saying you will do that. I just know people who do.) And they stare at you a lot. Even when they are just laying on the floor, I can look over and see one of them looking at me. JJ and Jake are as different from each other as they are alike. Jake has more herding instinct but JJ has more 'eye'. Jake is thunderphobic but if he hears a sound in the woods after dark, he goes and checks it out. JJ has never been bothered with storms but if he hears a sound in the woods after dark, he comes running to me and barks at the noise while standing behind me. JJ is head-strong and tries tell me what to do. Jake aims to please. Both of us had to take JJ to class-DH listened to the instructor while I was taking JJ through commands or he was disruptive (waiting for the others to do their thing was not JJ's forte). Jake went to classes because he was obsessed with other dogs. Totally embarrassed me at an agility event one time. Yet, after the 1st couple of classes, he became the perfect student. I think the advice from the instructor to listen to my dogs is some of the best advice I ever got.

Barb, that's horrible!!! Did they ever find the teenager who did it?

Welcome aboard! Tell us a little about Jack and Jess.

Lenajo is right. If you don't have any ear cleaning solution, I'm sure you can get some at PetSmart or Petco. Ear infections can be caused by different reasons. A lot are caused by ear mites. Jake had one a couple of months ago. He had a yeast infection in his ear. I asked the vet how he got a yeast infection in his ear and she told me it was a secondary sign of allergies. So, until you can get him to his vet and find out what kind of infection it is, cleaning is your best option.

Everyone here has really good answers but I have a hard time answering your question. We did our homework before getting our 1st bc, JJ and we found out, no matter how much reading and research you do, there's nothing like experience! And now, there is no other breed we would have. Aussies are good dogs but if I were you, try not to compare your bc to them. What works for your Aussies might not work with your bc. Training a bc, to me, requires a different way of thinking. But that's just my opinion.

Laura, I can see that. I've always lived in the humid Southeast so I can't compare.

As much as I love them, I don't know anything about horses. What I do know is, I don't have the same type of hair my dogs do. My hair wets down fast and the water can get to my scalp easy. My hair also dries faster. I just wish I had more of it!!