My puppy is hurt(long)

[Doglover]

For a few weeks now Harley(my Chihuahua) had been limping on his back leg. Mostly just when he runs he will just run on 3 legs. I had looked at it and he never acted like it hurt & i didn't see anything. Then on Thursday I saw a big round abrasion on his leg. It kinda looks like a tumor! So i took him in and they gave him anitbiotic med. for the red thing and then pain med. The vet said he acted like it hurt when she touched the top of his leg in the muscle. But I didn't really see that,I think its just the cut. When the pills are up if he is still limping then they want to take an xray to make sure its not a torn muscle. She said if its just strained,then it will fix on its own. My grandpa (know it all Bob) says we should not take our animals to the vet everytime something happens. He says animals fix themselves(just like he said about his hurt cat). He said "you all can't afford to go everytime theres something wrong". Ummmm if my little doggy is limping for a few weeks then obviously he is NOT healing and it was good of me to take him. It was only $59! Our vet is really cheap. Don't you all think that you shold take pets to the vet if something is wrong...or do you all think they heal themselves too??

[NicksBride]

I take my dogs in to the vet for everything... I take them in for stuffy noses. I feel that dogs as they are house dogs and can get ailments that most wild dogs do not get, as with leg injuries they can get worse to the point where the are not fixable and they eventually have to be amputated or put down. I think you did the right thing and continue to make the right decision by bringing them there.
Good luck with your poor puppy.

[PGDesigns]

You definitely made the right call on taking your little guy to the vet. My FH used to be a vet tech, and if it's something more than he can handle, we're off to the vet.

I hope it's nothing serious and that he feels better soon.

[Doglover]

me too, im so scared its a tumor or something. The only other thing is the red thing could be from him falling somehow outside and then maybe his muscle is hurt inside....i really hope he stops limping bc xrays are going to be so expensive......and if he has to get surgery...OH GOSH we don't have money for that. We will get it done but will all this stuff we have to do with our house.....sucks!

WHY is my grandpa so stupid!? Hes like "i have raised so many dogs, you cannot run to the vet for everything. they will take your money"

[TangoWedding]

I take mine in for most things. On Saturday, I took her in because she has been peeing more than usual and having accidents in the house.

Come to find out she has a bladder infection....an easy fix with pills, but still...it couldn't have been much fun for her.

Good for you for taking her in. Hope he feels better soon! :frogg:

[frenchie]

I think you were right to take your puppy to the vet. I rarely take my dog, but then again she's never been sick for more than a day, or had a limp... If she did I'd take her in a heartbeat!

[Doglover]

thanks!!!

Hey i have a question...our other dog Daisy is a 2 yr old hound mix. She is potty trained. But she always cries to go outside...so we take her..she just stands there, so we have to bring her back in and put her in her crate. Then bout 15 min. later we let her out...wait til she cries to go out. Take her out and she doesn't go. This cycle goes on ALL DAY LONG. Then she will finally pee or poop and she is good for a while, then if she has to "go" again,it starts all over again! I think something is mentally wrong with her......any thoughts? She seriously is causing me to have major stress, she just doesn't stop!

[StaceyMc]

It bothers me that your grandpa thinks that animals heal themselves. They think Buddy is gone for good - well maybe Buddy's leg is really hurt and he can't get back home.

Anyways, you did the right thing. Pets are like children, at least in my opinion. If your child is limping around for a few days, you don't just figure "Sally will heal herself" Let us know how Harley is doing!

[TangoWedding]

Since she's hound, my first guess would be that she's just curious and wants to be outside. My beagle does the same thing sometimes...just wants to go stand in the yard and take it all in. She can sit and look around forever, just sniffing the air.

[frenchie]

It might depend on the weather. Our maltese does that sometimes - she really has to go but if the grass is wet she just stays on the porch and she knows she's not supposed to pee there.
If it's dark out your dog might be scared of the dark? Valyna sort of is.

[Danielle9608]

I take mine in for most things. On Saturday, I took her in because she has been peeing more than usual and having accidents in the house.

Come to find out she has a bladder infection....an easy fix with pills, but still...it couldn't have been much fun for her.


Same thing happened to Ditto, it is pretty common in female dogs.

I take ditto to the vet regularly. She has a heart condition which is why I take her to the vet about every little thing (maybe more then I should), but that is part of caring for an animal. I don't think you were wrong to take your dog to the vet. If there is something wrong and you ignore it, chances are it will get worse and put the dog through more pain and you wallet then if you just dealt with it from the start.

[Doglover]

It bothers me that your grandpa thinks that animals heal themselves. They think Buddy is gone for good - well maybe Buddy's leg is really hurt and he can't get back home.

Anyways, you did the right thing. Pets are like children, at least in my opinion. If your child is limping around for a few days, you don't just figure "Sally will heal herself" Let us know how Harley is doing!
yeah it bothers me too, and he thinks hes right bc he has "raised many dogs". He is just mean.

[Doglover]

Since she's hound, my first guess would be that she's just curious and wants to be outside. My beagle does the same thing sometimes...just wants to go stand in the yard and take it all in. She can sit and look around forever, just sniffing the air.

THATS exactly what she does. Just stands there. And sometimes if i start walking back in and we get onto the deck and she just plops herself down and lays her head down and she wont budge, so i think she just is a hound and she wants to RUN. So i am thinking and hoping that when we have a fence, it will solve this problem. But then the problem will be her barking outside....then i donno what we are going to do.

[Doglover]

It might depend on the weather. Our maltese does that sometimes - she really has to go but if the grass is wet she just stays on the porch and she knows she's not supposed to pee there.
If it's dark out your dog might be scared of the dark? Valyna sort of is.

Yeah my chihuahua is like that about wet grass,lol. No and i don't think its the dark bc it happens all the time.

[NicksBride]

thanks!!!

Hey i have a question...our other dog Daisy is a 2 yr old hound mix. She is potty trained. But she always cries to go outside...so we take her..she just stands there, so we have to bring her back in and put her in her crate. Then bout 15 min. later we let her out...wait til she cries to go out. Take her out and she doesn't go. This cycle goes on ALL DAY LONG. Then she will finally pee or poop and she is good for a while, then if she has to "go" again,it starts all over again! I think something is mentally wrong with her......any thoughts? She seriously is causing me to have major stress, she just doesn't stop!

My dogs do that, they are BORED. Do not give in. hahahaha Moose and Taebo play this game alll the time and it drives me insane. They are going to drive me to drink. hehehe

[Doglover]

Here is the most annoying part....when we do give in and take Daisy out & she doesn't potty. So we bring her in and then when she does it again we ignore her and then she POOPS or pees!!! So now i am scared to ignore her. I just take her out & if she doesn't go then i just put her in her crate.

[WebLady]

I am sorry to hear you pup is hurt; hope he is all better soon!

Don't you all think that you shold take pets to the vet if something is wrong...or do you all think they heal themselves too??
I hate when ppl tell me things like "It's just a dog" or talk about me being over protective.

I don't take my dogs to the vet for every little sneeze or sniffle, but if it is something that is making them feel bad, act or behave different than normal, (especially if it is more than a day or so) then hell yeah I will take them in! Or I will at least call the vet or sometimes I even call the after hours ER vet, and talk to someone.

PPL do the same for their kids, why wouldn't you want to provide the same care for your pets?!

Some people talk about how dogs act in the wild, but our pets are not in the wild anymore; and wild dogs don't live as long or stay as healthy! Domesticated animals are dependent on us to care for them, love them and keep them safe and healthy! If you can't or don't want to do that, then you shouldn't have a dog; or any pet for that matter!

Hey i have a question...our other dog Daisy is a 2 yr old hound mix. She is potty trained. But she always cries to go outside...so we take her..she just stands there, so we have to bring her back in and put her in her crate. Then bout 15 min. later we let her out...wait til she cries to go out. Take her out and she doesn't go. This cycle goes on ALL DAY LONG. Then she will finally pee or poop and she is good for a while, then if she has to "go" again,it starts all over again! I think something is mentally wrong with her......any thoughts? She seriously is causing me to have major stress, she just doesn't stop!
This could be many things; she could be board and just want to be outside, but if she isn't doing anything when she is out there I would be a bit concerned. My Enzo used to pretend to have to go out then would just sniff around and not do anything or do a fake pee. We figured out he just wanted to play and/or get a treat for going outside ;)

Next time she does this try to engage her in some sort of play and see if that is what she wants. But Daisy could also have some sort of kidney or bladder issue. My Roxy had a UTI (urinary tract infection) a while back, where she would wine to go out and wouldn't/couldn't do anything or would go and then try to go again, but couldn't. It can't hurt to call and talk to the vet about what she is doing.

All the best to you and both your babies; don't let anyone else tell you how you should care for them!

[Doglover]

Yup its either a bladder problem or she is just bored. Evan is going to take her in when he gets paid but i just don't want the vet to make us get her medicine or something when she doesn't need it...? But i mean thats all we can do it trust the vet i guess. I wonder if we should wait til we get her in the fence to see if she stops....or she prob. won't stop but when she cries to go out we can just let her out..she doesn't have to be on a leash. She never just gets to run freee, ever. A few times we've been to this fenced in area and let her go but thats it. So i just think shes a hound and she wants to run!

[NicksBride]

Dogs are just amazing arent't they? I just made an appointment to get Moose neutered. $200. But they are children and just like children we need to take them to the doctor with everything and anything that can go wrong. If you do not take them to the doctor and they are sick or injured it can be constituted as animal cruelty. Just as it would be child abuse to not take your kids to the doctors for routine check ups and its neglect. Its sad that some people just do not realize that and state that they are just animals. Very sad.

[Doglover]

My grandpa is just plain old fashion. Gosh at our vet its only like $70 to get fixed. And there is this no kill animal shelter (only one close) and they are doing this special thing where its only $15 to spay and $10 to neuter!! And its only for a certain time. but...im scared to go there for some reason.

[WebLady]

i just don't want the vet to make us get her medicine or something when she doesn't need it...? But i mean thats all we can do it trust the vet i guess.If you/vets suspect a kidney/bladder infection and cannot test for it they will give meds just in case. If you can get a urine sample and bring it in that will help figure out if this is the problem. Or sometimes they can draw urine from the bladder.

She never just gets to run freee, ever.
If you don't have a fenced yard where you can let her run free you should try to walk her more. Is there a local dog park you could take her to? Is there any open space in your home where you she and play, like fetch or something? Just throwing things out there, you may do things like this already.

When my two get bored, they drive me crazy for attention :geek:

[Doglover]

Yeah her and Harley play alot inside. I can't take her to the park alone, because i can't control her. She just pulls and pulls and barks and barks. So i have to have Evan there but he is so busy! We did just take them to the park the other day but that was rare. When we take her outside when we get home from work Evan usually runs her around the yard to blow off some energy. We have a big yard..almost an acre so he runs around there a few times,lol. But this month hopefully alot will change with our new fenced backyard, she is just going to LOVE it.

[NicksBride]

hahaha our dogs are the same way. Do you have a dog park?
We bring our dogs there and just set them free. Its great. Here in Vermont dog parks are not that big, so we have the whole fenced in area to ourselves. hah

[Doglover]

ya we have 2 around here but Harley is aggressive and id be scared if he saw a toy he would get it and bite anyone who tried to take it. I guess we could take Daisy but I would just be so nervous!!!

On Harleys chart at the vet he has RED writing....which apparently means hes a biter.Its so sad!

[WebLady]

If you have an aggressive dog and/or one you cannot control you should probably not take them out to a public dog park. I would try to work on the aggressive/biting thing with Harley though. I recently read an ebook with some tips to teach dogs not to bite.

So for now I would just keep up with the exercise thing and hopefully things will get better when you get your yard fenced in soon. It wouldn't hurt to call the vet too and see what they think of Daisy's behavior.

We are trying to fence in our yard too, I can't wait!

Again, all the best to you and your fur-babies!

[Doglover]

thanks alot Brandi. Harley is so weird! He will grawl SOMETIMES if you try to take his toy and if you continue to take it then he may bite you. If i get really close to Evan on the couch he will try to bite either one of us and vice versa...its like he doesn't know what he is doing. But he doesn't bite like hard, he just like putting his mouth on you SOMETIMES. But if you make him really mad he will actually bite. And when him and Daisy play Harley is sooooo LOUD and never wants her to have the toy....but he still runs up to her & gets on her trying to get her to play.

[EarlyBird]

aww poor pup pup

[Doglover]

He has 3 pills left and he is still limping. But he still runs around like a crazy maniac playing with Daisy, so i don't get it...

[NicksBride]

well he may be getting better. It could just be a hot spot.. Does he lick it a lot?

[Doglover]

yeah he does. But aren't hot spots on their back? Or can they be anywhere. I am going to take a pic of it tonight and post it.

[PGDesigns]

Hots spots can be anywhere.

Maybe his activity should be limited since he is still limping. I know it's hard sometimes, but too much activity on a hurt leg can make it worse, or at least hinder the healing process.

Also, for his biting. It sounds like he is resource guarding. While it doesn't seem that bad since Harley is small, if this were a large dog, it would be a HUGE deal. Perhaps google resource guarding and see if any of the articles can help you. This is a habit that definitely needs to be nipped in the bud. Also, you may want to start both of them on a "Nothing in Life is Free" regimen. http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm

This will allow your dogs, especially Harley, to see YOU as his pack leader. Here is a small excerpt from the article:

YOU HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things that are wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the NILIF program. You control all of the resources. Playing, attention, food, walks, going in and out of the door, going for a ride in the car, going to the dog park. Anything and everything that your dog wants comes from you. If he's been getting most of these things for free there is no real reason for him to respect your leadership or your ownership of these things. Again, a timid dog is going to be stressed by this situation, a pushy dog is going to be difficult to handle. Both of them would prefer to have you in charge.



I hope this helps and the Mr. Harley's leg gets better soon!

[Doglover]

I have been putting him in his crate alot when he gets to wild. I feel so bad though! Cause he doesn't know why I am letting Daisy stay out and play. I know I need to be the dominate one and i have read alot of stuff but its not working! I am going to that website now to read it. We do need help.