Dog and rats

[littlemonster]

Well, as well as my 3 new ferrets I have some other pets!

I have 1 dear dog named Asher - he's a lovely goldie. He came to us at 50kg (110lbs) and literally a barrel of lard - had him 3 years and his weight just won't go down very far, he's still around 90-100lbs but despite being 9 now has far better muscle tone and general health. He has a touch of arthritis (appears to have had an old injury to 1 hip so I think weight is only a small factor) which I'm still successfully treating with glucosamine, he'll have pain meds when needed but I'd prefer to treat naturally as long as possible. Going to also add some cod liver oil as it's said to help. For a matter of interest I'll say he isn't raw fed - he'll eat small amounts of raw beef but would rather starve than eat other meat raw, he gets a mix of the best quality wet food he'll eat, table scraps, meat scraps cooked up etc. Well and a constant supply of raw bones. Some cooked veg if he asks for it (maybe once a month he'll want it, I trust him to know his own system so he gets it when he wants). Bit spoiled with his food but he's very healthy and it's only the grey hairs and dodgy hip that lets his age show, his coat and teeth are gorgeous! Were told when we got him he'd need to keep seeing the doggy dentist for his teeth but bones have entirely cured that issue.


Anyway I don't have that many photos of him, as he comes and sits on me for cuddles when I try, but..






Some are quite old, must sort out my more recent pics of him! Album: s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/rattymonster/Asher/



I also have 27 rats ranging between around 3 and 30 months at this time, a lot in the 6-12 month mark. 19 past rats too. Photos here: s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/rattymonster/Rats/

They're fed on a homemade mix with fresh veg, meat etc supplemented.



Finally, I have 2 dear chinchillas: s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll43/rattymonster/Chins/


In the house is also a royal python. And there's some fish outside.


So there's my pet list ;D Quite extensive. Past animals include 2 guinea pigs, some rabbits, gerbils, hamsters and mice.

[Sherry]

What a beautiful boy Out of curiosity- has he ever had his thyroid function checked? One of our huskies had a bad weight problem as well. Turned out that was the cause.

[littlemonster]

No he hasn't - he's not massively overweight though, at his size a good weight would be maybe 5kg/10lbs less and he's steady at that so I'm not too worried, I think he just has a somewhat slow metabolism! He is a large goldie, not standard sized that should be more like 30-35kg.

He also can't have tons of exercise due to his hip, I think if he could have a couple of hours a day or a good amount each day and enormous walks at weekends he'd likely lose some As it is it's more a few times a week and fairly short.



He wants a cuddle for saying he's beautiful ;D He loves everyone. And great with my small animals.

[Heather]

If you can get his weight down even more, it will take some of the pressure off that injured hip. Sherry's right though, if he's got a thyroid problem it will make loosing weight difficult and in the long run it will destroy his health. He's beautiful, with very gentle eyes
ciao

[suzie]

My Golden, Bandit, developed a weight problem. He is on measured diet, and fed twice daily. Goldens with hip problems do well with short gentle walks twice a day and swimming. There are also some physical therapists in some areas that do water therapy. The extra weight contributes to the joint degeneration and pain, after checking his thyroid, this would be the second most important plan to wellness. Diet and excercise are key. If you give treats, this counts toward the meal measurement....so treat sparingly:-)

[littlemonster]

Thanks, he's on very little food at all really for his size, I'll see about getting his thyroid checked if a new diet + exercise regime doesn't help. He refuses to swim which is a shame as I know it's great for poorly hips. I'll be honest, I've had a bad time with my own health lately which hasn't helped

The other issue I have is 2 other people in the house who ignore me

He has wet tinned food (he's been days ignoring other foods with no treats... he really would have to be properly starved to eat something he dislikes) - thankfully the one he likes has got a reasonable meat %. He's on butchers which is gluten free, no artificial stuff etc... not ideal but better than most of the other big name ones. 1 tin (400g) per day if he bothers eat it. On average probably eats maybe 2/3rds a tin per day. Scraps wise if he has any it's either meat scraps generally, ocassionally a small amount of veg or potato but not at all regularly.

Treats are the issue for his weight... he has bones (pretty constant supply of things like rib bones), paddywack, pigs ears, sometimes filled bones. Not ridiculous amounts. The issue is lunch time if Dad and kev have bread he gets a slice buttered (stopped as brother no longer here at lunchtime), biscuits if anyone has them, any snacks he has a bit of... it all adds up. Unfortunately I haven't been well enough to either moan at them constantly, or walk him as much as I should, so it's all a bit of a standstill lately.



My old vets weren't so great so maybe my new vets will have other ideas... the only option my old vets gave was a prescription diet at a level they set, which a) was... ridiculously expensive, b) if I gave them the amount they said he'd actually be eating more each day and c) I don't believe in low fat diets for dogs. While he won't eat raw (he's tried most meats but will only touch raw beef) I may see if I can persuade him onto a slightly better food, or maybe do fresh meals myself now and then.


Anyway have had a word with Dad to cut his treats down (his 1 evening treat had spiralled rather) and am pushing myself to get out more so hopefully, he'll lose some again!

He's the wrong shape physically to ever have that thin waist (even ignoring fat it doesn't go in that much at all), he's mainly got a belly over anything else to be honest. By the rib guide he has a tiny extra covering is all, totally ignores the belly!

Thanks for all your help, you're all a lot more helpful than most people seem to be.

By the way - his injured hip it appears to have been broken in some way when he was a puppy My poor baby!


We've had a nice gentle hour walk this evening, will get them going regularly again for us both. An hour is fine if it's gentle, it's anything strenuous that makes it too stiff!

I have some pics I'll sort later/tomorrow.

[littlemonster]

New photos... by the way he has weepy eyes on and off since we've had him, can't find a specific cause, currently having eye drops though as it's worse than normal. Oh and he's hard of hearing - not awful generally, but if there's background noise he can't focus on 1 noise at all, situations with like loud music in the background can therefore make him unsure after a bit, but most of the time he's bombproof. Completely ignores fireworks. Actually has been to a display with me - not close, I like looking at them, not having my eardrums bursting. He went to sleep in the car. Poor old man he is!

These are all from today:










He does love water as long as it's not above his belly ;D

[Sherry]

He's an adorable boy!
I'd really look into thyroid. To be honest- he LOOKS as though he's got a thyroid problem. Our husky had the same appearance.
Here's a link. Remember- not all symptoms are always present:
www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/hypothyroidism_in_dogs.htm

[littlemonster]

Thanks sherry, shall look into it for him. He needs to go for vaccs again very soon too. The only outwards signs are weight gain and possibly deafness (although he's also been physically abused at some point which obviously in some cases can effect hearing ) Hopefully he gets the all clear

Good news is an eye lotion stuff I got is removing the staining from around his eyes.

I just hope he sticks to having non-problematic health issues I can deal with easily! Or at least things that don't impact his quality of life.

[Sherry]

Just so you don't worry overly much if his thyroid IS affected- our one husky was diagnosed at 6 yrs of age. It took a couple of months to balance her medication(the amount her tests said she should need was WAY to high for her), but once that was done, she only needed yearly bloodwork
to check her levels and she finally passed here at home from old age at almost 15.

[littlemonster]

Hey, remembered you lot gave me advise and I never got around to coming back He had hios checks done and everything seemed normal (they checked a few other bits at the same time, standard bits, I cannot remember what exactly without finding the papers).

I have with some juggling changed around treatments for his hip and he's also now having joint care sticks (pedigree, got glucosamine but also chonditrin or however it's pronounced etc) and they've helped his hip enormously and he's lost some weight - I assume like everything he's naturally moving around more with it not getting stiff etc. He's lost most of his belly. He'll never have the tiny waist, he's a big, heavy built dog and the wrong bone structure for that (a very old style working retriever in the UK) but he's slimmer

Bad news is his eyes are getting cloudier - sign of aging but he's becoming higher risk for cataracts. No signs of anything underlying that will cause them (aha, diabetes they checked) though so hopefully he won't get them.

That said he is 9.5 give or take so he's not a baby He sends you all cuddles and begs for hugs

[Heather]

I'm glad that you're finding ways to make him more comfortable. It sounds good. Trying to get them to move around is half the battle. As hard as it is on us, the whole going blind for a dog, especially one that is basically bomb proof isn't as hard on them. They learn where everything is and as long as you don't move things around too much they can negotiate fairly well. One thing to keep in mind, though because he's going deaf, he may be a bit more easily startled
ciao

[suzie]

Thanks for the update! Sounds like he is doing well The eye problem may be genetics, unfortunately Goldens are prone to the eyes, heart, hip issues unless they come from a breeder working these out of his/her lines.
((hugs))to Asher!

Here is my Canadian fella, Bandit. He is one of George Weller's dogs if any of you folks know him. We love this pup ....he is about 8 yrs old in this pic.

[littlemonster]

Thanks Heather, yep I've met a few blind dogs in my life, including 1 still working as a farm dog - amazing creatures! Yes moving is helping a lots, even moving around the garden and playing with us more all helps.

He's not had good hearing since we got him aged 6, I assume either born with it limited, or lost it at a young age - it doesn't bother him in the slightest. His hearing isn't bad at all with no background noise, but the minute there's more sources he can't locate sounds and just can't quite follow.

Bombproof may be an understatement - he's been to firework displays with me after I realised he couldn't care less, he does sometimes watch them... oh and from a distance I will add, my ears like to not be deafened too! Yes, such a naughty Mummy. Nothing noise wise bothers him actually as a rule, the only thing that has was at a rally (vintage rally, old cars etc) where there was music playing loudly and with all the background noise he lost the ability to find my voice, so now he only goes to the smaller ones he enjoys.

Due to his poor hearing with extra noises he's trained to some extent to a high pitched whistle (seems to travel better) and hand signals Plus to a few touch things. Not something I ever planned, just naturally adapted to as you do. He's kind of my big baby




Funniest thing is he still acts like a puppy at times, typical retriever I know, but when he ends up play bowing or chasing around or pawing his nose (yes, he attention seeks) it's hard not to find him adorable ;D



Sorry, I'll talk about my puppy all day He is a sweetheart though, loves everyone.