Hi Carol,

Carol Shenkenberger wrote in a message to Richard Webb:

 > SOunds like you're on the right track with him and the vets.  They can do so
 > amazing things to help dogs get over that, but prevention is still so much
 > easier, and so cost effective.  Makes me angry with people who won't do it.

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
mosquitoes you're gonna have heartworm, and mosquitoes are ubiquitous. IN
the northern climes at least you can discontinue preventative during the
months of hard freeze, but again when the freezing season is over you have
to do the heartworm blood test again before beginning preventative from
what I've been led to believe.

 > That sounds mastiff.  THey're indeed powerful dogs.

CS> Yes, but he's considerably smaller, at 17.5 at shoulder and not
CS> quite as 'burley' looking.  We have fun guessing but it doesnt
CS> really matter, other than you'll see me call hims a 'beagle' (he is
CS> a mix though) and the weights and feeding amounts wont match what
CS> your mind tells you a beagle needs or should weigh.

That sounds about right too.  OUr Rottweiler would eat that much and be
crying for more.

 > My wife can't play with the tug of war rope toy with our Rott anymore.  Even
 > with brakes locked on her wheelchair young girl can pull wife across the liv
 > room with it now.

CS> Grin, I can picture that one!  I bet they understand instinctively
CS> to be gentle with her too.

sHe does, she also understands that I can't see her.  SHe knows if she's
trying to keep something away from me to lay perfectly still and not move.

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 and the relief in vacant lots. Meanwhile she'd pick up the chicken
bone or other trash lying around.

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
know she had it. THen when arriving home she'd head over to her food and
water dishes whilst I headed upstairs to my office. when wife was home she
was busted in the act a couple of times.  WHen I had it together that she
had her game plan I started making her show me her mouth whenever we
returned from our walks.

 > CS> Hehe where 'pink boy' wil presumably not be off topic and well
 > CS> understood!
 > 
 > Yah I caught that one.  WOuldn't be good for his heart right now. I'm sure o
 > young girl's going to be coming into heat soon, and we're still vacillating 
 > what we want to do.  We paid for breeding rights, but either way wouldn't wa
 > her to breed first heat. BUms me out we couldn't have gone through that stil
 > living in the country instead of in town.  Oh well.

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,
unsure of gender, and a couple of other large breeds I can hear to our east
and north. 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 and take her right back in. Be inconvenient for a few days
but this too shall pass.

CS> Anyways, across the street they are doing the last breeding of an
CS> english bulldog pair.  4th time? and they checked with the vet to
CS> make sure she's up for it first.  None of the previous liters have
CS> had any problem pups.  (Now I'm forgetting how many times she's had
CS> pups, maybe this is 5th?  Anyways, last time she's to have any. 
CS> They will have her neutered after this set). 

SOunds reasonable.  WE've already got a plan.  wE'll make sure any pups go
to 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> English buuldog pups can go for 1500$ or more but these go to local
CS> neighbors at 500$ after being housebroken and all that.  The wife
CS> came over to help me look over the house for puppy safe issues for
CS> Cash before he came home. 

THat's one better thing about this place than our old one.  Much easier to
make puppy safe.

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.

IT sounds to me like your folks across the street are good responsible
breeders.  rott pups go for about the same, but we'll try to operate in a
similar fashion to your neighbors.

 > Shortly after we got her home, (about a week after we purchased her as we sp
 > some more time in motel rooms) our vet said she was infected with coccidia
 > bacteria.  We got the treatment, and followed vet's advice to call breeding
 > kennel owner. Lady was real upset to hear it, but said she'd check all her
 > dogs.

 

 > lady wanted to be sure we didn't blame her.  I have seen others that would have
 > just raised their middle fingers and gone on.

CS> Grin, can happen.  There's several things Cash had to be vaccinated
CS> for that are prevalant in the local area.  With his heartworm
CS> problems, these other things if he got them wouldnt be mild ailments
CS> easy to fix later but major issues.

I"m sure, and we should have with ROxy as well, but at her age ...

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


Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+