Little dog woes
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Anonymous
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Loving my little guy - all 12 pounds of him - but the Jack Russell part of him makes him a right brat!
Got hold of my husband's checkbook a few weeks ago and chewed it. We thought things were fine after he threw up some of it right after. Ate, drank, pooped, behavior, all normal. Then last week he threw up more. So off I go with him to the vet for X-rays and exam. They give me a protocol (try white bread dipped in olive oil - not sure if anything is still there, etc. etc.) and he seems fine. Take him back four days later for more X-rays to compare. Doc says he still sees something but to cut open a dog who's fine in all other regards? Best to wait and see and monitor. I decide I'm going to also take him to Hope in Vienna and get him an ultrasound so we can get more info. I'm not good at 'wait and see'. I do that today - ultrasound clear. YAY! Take him home to find out that this AM while I was driving my son to school, he had puked up a bunch more of the plastic bits - attached to a bit of a tug of war rope toy he was chewing on (which is now in the trash). Which explains the clear ultrasound this afternoon. Hopefully, that's the end of it. Will still watch him carefully. One more throw up of plastic or other symptom and it's exploratory surgery to get rid of the rest (or at the very least, endoscopy). I think I stress out about my animals as much as I do my kids. It's like having perpetual toddlers! Tally - Cost of Husband's carelessness (he's ADHD and his office WAS a disaster) - $1000 so far Healthy dog - $priceless |
Anonymous
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How does a tiny, 12 pound dog get a hold of a check book? Left within reach?
Don't blame the dog. You need to dog-proof better. |
Anonymous
| I foster small breed dogs and had a 10 lb. yorkie mix foster once who chewed…and eventually pooped out…the following things: top of one rubber flip flop, part of the top of husband's expensive leather sandals, fabric banding around a stair tread, a large piece torn from DD's underwear, and other stuff I can't remember. I had no idea she ate everything in sight until she had been with me for weeks. Ignore the snarky PP. A determined dog will eat anything, no matter how much you "dog proof." You sound like a great owner for even being willing to pay for the medical procedures to see if your dog was okay. Many owners wouldn't. |
Anonymous
My husband is both ADHD and a stubborn 5 year old. His office is a disaster and any requests from me to pick it up is met with the adult equivalent of "You're not the boss of me". After this, he's cleaned up his office. And he's lost any further chance of me not doing it for him in the future. I was trying to be respectful of my husband's space. But now his behavior has affected more than just me and that's the end of my patience. So yes, we need to dog-proof better. |
Anonymous
Thank you. And he's got some Yorkie in him - I'm seeing a theme here 
The other PP had a point though, and struck a nerve. I should not have been as patient with my husband. I forgot how dogs can be perpetual toddlers and I would have never let him get away with this when the babies were little and everything went into their mouths. It's important to respect one's spouse, yes, but it's more important that all members of the family are as safe as possible. One thing I will say about this is my husband is the kindest person when it comes to animals, once running through an ice storm in his boxers (explain THAT to the neighbors!) to get a dog that had been hiding in our bushes. Apparently, it had been lost for two days and was very skittish. It snapped at my husband more than a few times but he persevered and rescued that boy (and found his home - the vet contacted the owners who had been frantically looking as well). A woman who lived a few blocks away was kind enough to drive my husband back to our house with the dog (in his underwear no less, after her husband called me to confirm he wasn't a masher and was indeed my husband and that his tale was true). So while I'm frustrated with him now, he's a good man. And is more than willing to spend the money to make things right again. Gotta love that. |
Anonymous
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Treat a very young dog pretty much as you would a toddler.
If you can't keep valuables out of his reach, use baby gates to cordon off areas of the house or whole floors to make it impossible for him to get in there. I would gate your husband's office and make it impossible for the dog to get in there. It's not only stupid but dangerous for the dog to roam in there. Next time it won't be a checkbook. It will be an object that kills this young dog. |
Anonymous
| PP poster here with the yorkie foster. Yes, I agree that you should dog proof the house as much as possible but, when you live with other people, that's a full time job. I personally don't leave anything on the floor that my own small dogs and fosters can get to--but my DH and DC often do! No amount of telling them not to do it is going to stop them from doing it some of the time. I have baby gates everywhere in my house--to that point that it impedes all of our movements-- but s**t happens. How could I have known, for example, that my foster would eat the fabric banding around my stair treads?! They are there primarily so my dogs won't slip down the stairs. Another example….if EVERYONE in the house does not push in kitchen counter stools and dining room chairs EVERY SINGLE TIME they are used, at least one of my dogs will jump on the table or counter and get at something. So, in short, yes, be vigilant and proof the hell out of every room but also be prepared to pay for the occasional emergent vet visit. Which you did and you are OP so, again, good for you! |
Anonymous
He's 7. I only have so much control over a stubborn man. I do my best. |
Anonymous
This is exactly right. I'm at the point where I can be afraid to leave the house, so full-time job is correct. And then some. And you are right that some dogs get into things you can't even imagine. The best we can do in a lot of cases is watch for issues and be prompt about treating them, along with doing our best to dog-proof the house. |