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Topics - CalistogaPyr

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31
Treatment & Preventative Meds / Knee brace for luxating patella?
« on: December 19, 2005, 02:40:05 pm »
Bo was recently diagnosed with a luxating patella on her rear right leg (level 2).  Most of the time it doesn't bother her, but since we've brought Floyd home and they are playing a lot, it seems to be popping out of place more often.  My husband & I were thinking that she might benefit from a knee brace, but after an exhaustive google search, we only came up with some serious orthopedic models for dogs with severe displasia/amputation.  Does anyone have any suggestions for something that could be used for a knee brace?  Has anyone tried this before?  I was thinking of a human elbow brace (the neoprene kind) and perhaps some vet tape....
Suggestions?
THANKS!
Jenn, Bo & Floyd

32
Greetings BPO folks!  Well, we did it.  We finally got another dog.  AFter much deliberation and anxiety on my part, my husband went to a shelter and brought home the newest member of our family.  Floyd (as in Pink) is a 1 year old, male, lab/chow mix.  He's pretty funny...very smart, but NO training.  He was found as a stray and had been adopted out once before, only to be returned two days later because he likes shoes.  Go figure...a year old dog that likes shoes!  Bo didn't outgrow her love of shoes until 2!  Anyway, my husband took Bo to the shelter to meet Floyd and they got along FAMOUSLY!  Playing, romping, both initiating play, all the good things you look for.  Well, that ended the moment he came into the house.  She reverted back to all of her old, unfriendly ways and we spent the night mediating various "snarking outbursts".  Floyd, to his credit, seems unphased by Bo's grumpy attitude and really wants to play.  Finally we had to put Floyd in the kitchen (at about 3am, mind you, and with very little sleep on my part), and Bo in the bedroom.  Peace at last.  I took them for a VERY long walk this morning and once we got back to the house, most of the bad behavior on Bo's part ceased.  The only time it got a little rough was when they were playing & she took a corner too fast and tweaked her bad knee (luxated patella, right rear leg)...boy did she let into Floyd for that!  After a breif separation, they had forgotten all about it & life marched on.  They are home alone today, so wish me luck that I still have a house with two dogs and two cats when I get home!  And hopefully the neighborhood will forgive me for adding to the pack! 
Anyway, aside from the general announcement, I wanted to solicit other people's experience of adding to the pack.  Do they eventually fall into a rhythm?  How long does it take for dogs to bond?  Bo is my first dog, so I'm REALLY new to all of this!  Your stories and suggestions are welcomed!!
Thanks,
Jenn, Bo & (now) Floyd

33
Great Pyrenees Discussions / Adding to the pack-suggestions, please!
« on: December 06, 2005, 05:04:25 pm »
Greetings Pyr people! =)  I wanted some feedback from the group about getting another dog.  We recently moved into our first house (yeah!), which is great.  However, when we left our old house, we left behind the other two Pyrs that lived on the property with us (Bo's mom & "uncle" Teddy).  We've been in our new house for almost three months & Bo seems to miss having a pack.  She's also started expressing some anxiety (excessive barking/fear aggression), which we think has to do with the fact that she went from being one of three Pyrs, the older two who were responsible for the guarding job, to being an only Pyr with no older, wiser dogs to guide her.  My husband & I really want to get another dog, but our trainer said that we should wait 6 months before bringing another dog into the family.  I can understand that, in terms of the adjustment phase.  What I'm not sure about is how to go about finding a good brother for Bo.  WE thought about doing a Pyr rescue, but I don't think I can handle 250lbs of dog at the end of the leash!!  Not to mention, our neighbors are barely tolerant of Bo's barking, I can only imagine what they'd say if we had two.  My questions:
Does anyone have a Pyr with a non-Pyr sibling?  How do you introduce a new dog into the house?  Do they do better wtih some breeds than others?
Helpful suggestions/feedback are welcome!
Thanks!
Jenn & Bo 

34
Medical Conditions & Diseases / Pancreatitis in Great Pyrenees
« on: December 04, 2005, 05:22:17 pm »
My 2 year old female Pyr, Bo, was just diagnosed with pancreatitis!  I can't believe it!  We have not fed her people food & have been diligent about keeping her weight at a good level (118-120lbs), so this has come as a bit of a surprise.  She was vomiting inconsistently over the past 4 months, but our old vet attributed it to "rot gut" and prescribed cottage cheese/rice until it passed.  When she started refusing to eat, including her beloved kong, our new vet actually ran the lab work & it came back with elevated lipase levels! 
Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else's dog has had this condition diagnosed and if so, what are people doing in terms of diet?  Bo is on Natural Balance dog food, and has been for over a year.  Our vet suggested Waltham low fat, but it's really hard to come by in my area, so I'm currently looking for information about good, low-fat dog food.
Thanks, everybody!!
Jenn & Bo

35
Great Pyrenees Discussions / The curious incident of the Bo-dog
« on: November 03, 2005, 02:11:35 pm »
I have a scenario that I'd like to put up for suggestion/feedback.
It might take a while to explain, so bear with me! =)  I also posted this on the Yahoo group, so those of you that read this twice, that's why!

My 2 year old female Pyr, Bo, was acting VERY strange last night.
To preface this story, it should be said that we purchased a home in
September and moved from the ranch where Bo was born and was one of
three Pyrs, including her dog-mom. The new neighborhood has LOTS of
dogs that are allowed to roam freely (arrgh), and sometimes they
have been known to let themselves onto our porch.
So, back to the story... My best friend (who has known Bo since she
was six weeks old and has been Bo's nanny when we go out of town)
came to our house last night and arrived before I did. She let
herself in, as I had instructed her to, and made herself
comfortable. I arrived about 10 minutes later. When I arrived, Bo
was out on the deck whining. She didn't greet me as she usually
does, and was acting nervous. She then went into our bathroom and
wouldn't come out. When my husband arrived home, she was finally
enticed out of the bathroom and laid down in the living room. Every
time my friend made an excited noise (she & my husband were playing
a video game), Bo would bark. After a while, my friend was sitting
with Bo and petting her. Bo suddenly barked at her (not a growl,
but more of a fear/warning bark), and then jumped up on the couch
where I was sitting and hid behind me. For the rest of the night,
she was restless and barked quite a bit more than usual, often
sounding the "Hound of the Baskerville" bark as though someone were
coming through the front door!
My question is: do you think that my friend letting herself into the
house without me or my husband being present triggered something for
Bo? We have not trained her to be a guard dog, per se, but I know
that the instinct is very deeply ingrained in the breed. I wondered
if she got confused that someone who is her friend was in the house
without me? Or perhaps did one of the neighborhood dogs come into
our house wtihout our knowledge? We leave the slider open for Bo to
come in since it's been raining and we don't have an adequate dog
house built for her yet. I also wondered if she was getting
harassed by a nasty neighbor up the street who has decided that Bo
is the cause of all dog noise in the neighborhood (mostly because
she's the loudest).
I am a first-time Pyr owner, and although I consider myself educated
about the breed, this situation has stumped me. So far, she seems
fine today...no nervousness that I can tell, although she's pretty
tired from staying up all night! =)
Thanks for any suggestions or feedback about this situation. Also,
feel free to let me konw if I'm just being a nervous Nellie and if
this can be attributed to the move and the adjustment period that
she's (we're) going through. I try very hard to be a good Pyr mom
and want to make sure that I'm not setting up situations that might
be difficult for Bo to understand/handle.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!
Jenn & Bo

36
Great Pyrenees Discussions / Terrible twos Anyone?
« on: June 27, 2005, 01:58:34 pm »
My Bo is almost two (on 9/23) & she seems to be going through a change.  In the last few months or so, she's become more vigilant with her guarding behavior, especially at night.  She also has become WAY more protective of us when we're out in public, often barking at people if they approach us.  She's not aggressive, just noisy.  Anyway, this is a change for her, as she's normally not this vocal and/or hypervigilant.  I wanted to know if this was normal for Pyrs of this age range. I'm a first-time Pyr mom & I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about the breed.  I've read all the books, but we don't have a lot of Pyr people around here, so I'm putting it out to the BPO family to see what other pyr parents have seen in their young dogs.
Thanks!
Jenn & Bo

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