HI Carol,

Carol Shenkenberger wrote in a message to Richard Webb:

 > CS> Yes, my neighbors dont.  They cant afford it they say.

 > IF you can't afford it you can't afford to have the dog imho. IF you have

CS> I agree.  But they have a beloved dog from the family and arent
CS> really aware of the risk zone they are in.

Had a neighbor out in the country much the same situation.  HE adopted a
little lab mix puppy, he already had a retriever mix female and a Chihuahua
mix. Lab mix was quite unhealthy, and they weren't treating for fleas or
anything else and his dogs ran loose. i got some broad spectrum stuff from
the co-op to eradicate them and did a good spray around both our yards.
Educated him on how the felas are roundworm in a different stage and he had
to treat with Frontline or  the vinegar in the water, do something.  WE
also discussed heartworm. HE at least was treating for the felas then.

WHen we were moving we were over there at the old place, one of our last
trips by there to get some tools of mine he'd borrowed and his golden
retriever mix ran out into the road and was hit by a car.  We played doggie
ambulance to our vet with him riding in back of van holding dog. TOld our
vet we'd stand good for their bill if they didn't have it. that way we'd
get her treated for her injuries.  DOg got updated on all her shots, and
lady vet (same one who sees ours) and I hammered on him about heartworm
perventative and other preventive measures for awhile. WE finally got it to
soak in to his head, if you love your dog, take care of him/her.

CS> Per vet, aim for a slow 1/2 lb a month gain and if he picks up more,
CS> it's ok as long as he doesnt get truely 'fat'.  I asked how to
CS> really know, and they siad it will be a while.  For now, you can
CS> count his bottom 3 ribs clearly when standing, and up 6 when laying
CS> down.  Not skeletal, but even I with little knowledge realized he
CS> was a bit under his body-type weight.  His backbone is relatively
CS> well fleshed (can feel it but doesnt seem extreme and not noticable
CS> to the eye).

UPi
YOu'll know if he's picking up more than he should by feel.  WHen Kathy was
in hospital in January for complications of diabetes and double bypass
surgery I didn't have a ride home that often so stepdaughter was taking
care of her, supposedly. SHe and her boyfriend overfed this girl something
terribly and I'm still trying to work the excess poundage off her.  Poor
girl ate 3 months worth of dog food in 3 weeks!

CS> Cash gets 2 feeds a day of 1 cup each (mixed wet and dry) and a
CS> noshe at noon of about 1/2 cup or a little less.  Dogbones as often
CS> as he does something good.  Oh and a special chew thing, kinda like
CS> rawhide but wont make a choking hazard, for dogs of his type that
CS> eat a rawbone in 20 mins flat.  They are flat and he loves them. 
CS> Lasts about 5 mins.  10$ a bag for 30 . 

THose work well.  We do the rawhide chews, for the big dogs, and that's
about waht they last. We fill Schatze's bowl with 2.5 scoops in the morning
(about 3 cups) and that lasts her all day. I demand feed dogs.  Many don't,
but I believe in leaving food down for them to have whenever they wish to
eat a little and train them that they don't need to gorge.  THey still eat
on a schedule it seems but makes life a little easier with my erratic
schedule.

CS> Humm!  Reading down I see but hadnt realized.  You are blind?  I
CS> used to be big on ADAnet and helped many setup systems for the
CS> blind.  I was the technical coordinator for ADAnet and backup to
CS> Bill Freeman for a long time. 

THink I recall that name from back in the '90's.

 > when we first adopted Roxy  off streets of NEw ORleans she was accustomed to
 > eating anything she found lying around.  We managed apartment complexes and
 > lived in a townhouse. Hence, no yard.  we did the walk thing for exercise an
 > the relief in vacant lots. Meanwhile she'd pick up the chicken bone or other
 > trash lying around.

CS> Sad but understandable.  No telling what Cash may have gotten into
CS> in the past.

Tha was all poor girl had to eat for a long time when she was abandoned to
the streets. SHe and I only had one big argument over giving up what she
found.  AFter a time she realized that she *must* let me see it.  IF I
deemed it safe it was given back to her.

 > Roxy figured out rather quickly that old man couldn't see her, and if she'd
 > just pick up her booty and hold it quietly without chewing on it I'd not kno
 > she had it. THen when arriving home she'd head over to her food and water

CS> Whiley lady 

OH yes.  SHE had the game down, but once I knew waht her game was that
didn't work so well.  WE'd come in, and before leash came off I'd kneel on
floor and we'd inspect the mouth.

 > CS> Yeah, won't be so much fun for a week or so in the city but little
 > CS> other option.  How you gonna keep the boy away?  Put him in a temp
 > CS> place?  Like a pet hotel?
 > 
 > ONly other dogs around here are a little peekingese across teh street, unsur
 > of gender, and a couple of other large breeds I can hear to our east and nor
 > Both of these seem to be confined as well, but a female in heat changes the
 > equation quite a bit. I"ll just go out with her when she
relieves herself an
 > take her right back in. Be inconvenient for a few days but this too shall pa

CS> Oh I misread.  I thought you had a male Rottie too.  Ok, this will
CS> work. 

DOn't have a male, we'll find one with good blood lines when time's right. 
WE're *definitely* not doing first heat. sEcond's soon enough.  One or two
litters, then no moire.  sHe's not a baby factory or a moneymaking
endeavor.  SHe's a house and business guard second, and loved family member
first. AS I'm typing this she's sleeping behind my chair, and snoring. 
rOtts are known for that. OUr bedroom at night is quite a chorus between
the three of us.


 > SOunds reasonable.  WE've already got a plan.  wE'll make sure any pups go t
 > good homes, recoup our cost of stud fees vet visits etc. Any we can't place
 > properly will go to guide dog schools.  Pilot for example welcomes dobermans
 > and ROttweilers.

CS> THat works!  Yes, recup fees and have a little fun.  Wait out the
CS> first cycle though as thats kinda like having a 15-16YO human girl
CS> have a baby.  It's not just that the mothering instinct can be a bit
CS> off, there can be complications as she's not really fully grown yet.
CS> 2nd season is supposed to be safe from what I've read.

BOdy's grown to full adulthood or close enough by then and mom's matured
enough to handle it. Large dogs mature a bit slower anyway.  I think CIndy
posted a chart she found somewhere on estimating maturity and longevity of
different breeds in this echo a couple months back. YOur vet probably has
the same one.  WE'd seen that one before at a couple different vets'
offices.

 > I didn't get a phone line properly secured with those cable clips along top
 > molding however and wife has lost her cordless handsets all over the house
 > until I run a new piece of line from phone service entry to location of base
 > unit. DOg got ahold of the cable a couple hours ago and goodbye dial tone to
 > the wireless handsets.

CS> Hehehe.  oops.  You know Radio shack, if you stil have the base
CS> model going, has ones you can just plug into an outlet and pickup
CS> your line from that. 

Yah could, but I"m a little leery, as I run phone patches on ham radio
for the troops when they call for it, sat phones and the internet have
taken a lot of that business from us though.  sTill I handle a lot of phone
patches on ham radio for missionaries rather stay with plain ol' twisted
pairs for rejection of unwanted interference.  KEeps the radio out of the
phone lines, makes the phone patch usable when I need it, and allows the
wife to use the phone when I"m on the radio. NOt sure if those current
carrier devices are as good at rejecting unwanted rfi.  Better stick to the
devil I know, because if I have a problem I know the technical solutions I
need to employ such as ferrite chokes, etcetera. IN fact, the modem for
this machine is heavily choked with ferrite cores, and the phone line from
it to the wall jack is much longer than it needs to be so that it can be
coiled about 30 turns around a ferrite choke. Got to where I could work 80
or 40 meters and not knock the modem offline  but on 20 meters the
connection would slow way down. Made the mistake of transmitting on 15
meters one day when in the middle of a mail session and dropped the
connection completely.

Anyway, back to dogs .

 > when we adopted her she was full of infections of all types.  I  think we sp
 > about $3k in the first 6 months of her time with us just on antibiotics and 
 > visits.

CS> We are down about 700$ but some of that was a good 'den' (cage) and
CS> a car carrier (he needs the large dog ones, 36 inch was smallest one
CS> he will comfortably fit in.  The car one is a nice plastic unit that
CS> will double as a doghouse out back withthe door removed.  Airplane
CS> approved too. 

DOn't have to worry about flying.  Kathleen refuses to fly.
I experienced getting her on an airplane once, and that was a c130 when we
left the hospital in NEw ORleans where we spent a week providing
communications for them.  THis was Charity hospital there btw.  AS soon as
the conversation came up that we may have to chopper her out of there she
went a little crazy on us, so they sedated her.  Yah right! SHe was fine
when a boat took her from emergency room to a traffic island, thence to a
bus.  But, when the bus pulled into the airport she went rain man on me,
sedated or not.

WE've got a big wire crate for Schatze which we used quite a bit.  It lives
in the van as traveling kennel for her now. We had a smaller plastic one
when she was a small puppy but she outgrew it quickly. Doghouse out back
here is one of my next woodworking projects.  Friend of mine's going to be
reroofing his garage this summer and he'll have enough spare shingles left
over so I'll use those. She's inside enough that dog house isn't really as
much a priority as it would be up north.

We've taught our Schatze that crate is her safe zone.  SHe's the first one
I ever crate/cage trained. Had to though as we were away on business during
her early puppy days, and she was just too chaotic in motel rooms
otherwise.

Regards,
           Richard
... Braille:  support true literacy for the blind.
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+