SatchmosMom

I spoke with the specialist yesterday and Satchmo's culture came back negative. I mentioned the spine but she says she would have seen that during her exan and his back end would have shown signs of injury. She basically cannot find a medical reason. I am going to purchase a drinking bowl that slows drinking in a bid the lessen the peeing episodes.

I have 3 Border Collies (not puppies), 2 are in training. One dog will hold onto the ball and one dog will drop it all the time. For both dogs, I am teaching them that the tug means food. We play tug at home for treats and the only time they see the tug is when I bring it out for our special playtime. They are both focused on the ball and then the food but to protect my hands when they learn to run full on, they HAVE to learn the steps. That is, ball then tug then treat. My boy who doesn't tug will now voluntarily mouth the tug before asking for his treat, we are making progress. I did this by shoving the tug in his mouth, big praise and shoving a treat in the side of his mouth. My female who doesn't want to let go of the ball changed her mind when I made the tug a much more exciting thing to play with. The tug might never be as exciting as the ball but they can learn to put it in the sequence. You can't throw objects but I've seen people tie something like a toy to the end of a tug and drag it like a lure. I have to use a tug for my "FM" dog because if I don't keep my hands away she'll bite them in a flyball frenzy! The reason my FM dog runs 3.7 seconds and lunges at the tug is because I am the best thing in her life, the ball is simply a vehicle to get praise and lots of it. I cannot stress ths enough especially for needy BC pups. If the thing you get most excited about is the tug then the dog will think "hey maybe I should check that thing out" BC's are very nosy and want whatever you have. Play keep away with the tug by running away from the dog waving it around and screeching! I hope this is helpful. Once your pup realises that the game is to drop the ball upon return and play tug with you, your dog will gain confidence and run back like the wind.

Thanks for all the replies. Satchmo had a broken tail when he came from the farm, it did heal. He was Neutered a week after I got him and the peeing began about 3 weeks later. I tried bladder control meds and the meds for Diabetes Insipidus, they didn't work. The vet does not believe neutering would have caused this. It's driving me crazy because Satchmo acts like a normal healthy dog. I was informed that my dog was a nervous dog because he was scared at the hospital but they were poking in place that would scare us all. He is a happy boy with just the normal BC neurosis'. I will check into taking him to a veterinary school. I will also look at doing a check on his brain and spine. Any other suggestions are welcome.

This topic was started previously but I'mm putting it out there again... I'm hoping someone might have some interesting thoughts on this one. I have had my Border Collie, Satchmo since May. He is nearly 6 years old and has lots of energy and a wonderful personality. Satchmo's breeder had him from a pup and she always took him to shows and he has always been around lots of new dogs because she now rescues dogs. Satchmo is a confident boy though when he is naughty he will lie down and roll over. Since June, Satchmo has been urinating, not a dribble not even a normal amount but bucket loads. On the sofa while resting, at the door before going outside and in his crate at night. Sometimes Satchmo does not seem to notice that he is peeing, other times I yell at him to stop and he just can't. His Specific Gravity has come back, bad, good, bad, bad, good, bad, good. There is no consistancy. He just had ultrasounds done, Kidneys, Liver, Adrenal Glands, Prostate, Gall Bladder, GI Tract and Spleen are all clear. His urine episodes are less frequent now but still happening. The Specialist cannot find a medical reason for this problem and has decided that it must be a behavioral issue! I am not convinced but I'm open to suggestions. HELP! PS I also have his two littermates at home.

I had two of my dogs on Evo but they did not like it do I switched back to Fromm Salmon. Satchmo eats almost anything though so he probably wouldn't care. I'm praying that a simple change in nutrition will help Satchmo and not agressive drugs or surgery.

Hi this is Satchmo's mom, Thanks for taking such an interest. I had to go to my regular vet today so I took Satchmo along. The vet agreed that Raw would be excellent and that antibiotics may also be a good thing to try. I think he wants me to talk to the specialist which I plan on doing on Monday. Satchmo may end up on a raw diet but I want to try either the antibiotics or testing first. If I feed raw it could certainly reduce his symptoms and cover up whatever he has. I just want to work with one variable at a time. I would like to find out the cause and then treat him as holistically as possible, including nutritionally. I am open to all suggestions and I will let you all know what happens with Satch in the next week. Legacy images has kindly offered to donate a percentage of their sales to help with Satchmo's veterinary bills. http://www.legacyimages-pc.com/index.html Legacy images makes high quality personalized products and although you may have finished your Christmas shopping, please consider buying for birthdays, anniversaries or even next Christmas (wouldn't that be a feather in your cap!). Items can be shipped anywhere even overseas. Note to Dog People: Legacy images can use you dog photos on ornaments, checkbook covers, t-shirts etc. If you have a friend with an unusual breed what about a custom frame with the breed name? YOU MUST CALL YOUR ORDER IN AND MENTION THAT IT IS FOR SATCHMO'S FUND. (if funds exceed bills the money will be donated to help border collie rescues)