Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I love the third one the best...already surveying the land like a true Pyr!!  Makes me think of Bo when she was a little girl...
Bo has never been to the snow (I know, a travesty in and of itself), but she LOVES the rain!  I swear she's happiest when the rain is pouring down and she can just sit and be wet.  It seems like she barks less when it's raining...coin cidence?  Probably not! 
Jenn

Yeah, I think that she's had a 'coon vendetta since we first moved into the house and the 'coons learned to open the window to our guest bedroom and help themselves to the cat food!!  Since then, I think she's been biding her time, plotting her revenge.  I wish I had taken a picture of her all covered in mud (and whatever else was under there)!!
A guardian to her core, no 'coon is too scary for Bo!!

Bo is most definitely a guardian.  Her father was from working stock, so she got a really strong guarding instinct from him (I think).  She's a therapy dog and works wonders with seniors and the mentally ill, but come at me sideways or glance at our house, and she's there to let you know not to get too close!!  She barks at anything that could be considered a threat (mouse farts, wind, the creek, buzzards, mosquitos, the voices in her head...), so we're constantly having to check out whatever the offending thing is!!  Floyd, on the other hand, can't be bothered to get out of bed to check something out unless he thinks there is food in it for him!!!
Jenn, Bo & Floyd 

Hey! I'm Jenn and I'm owned by a Pyr named Bo (girl, 4 years old, 128lbs) and mutt named Floyd (boy, 3 years old, 75lbs).  Welcome to the board!  There is LOTS of good advice and support at BPO!!
=)

Thanks for the link about nightshades... I had no idea!!!  She's been on a potato-based diet for several years, so it makes sense that a buildup would occur.  I will definitely look into some alternatives.  I'm still waiting to hear from the vet, but I suspect that xrays are next and will give us a better idea of what we're dealing with.  Poor girl...
Last night we moved her down bed into the kitchen and she slept there while we ate dinner, so perhaps I'll keep doing that so she can have a soft place to sleep.  Although she also likes to sleep next to the toilet, but I'm not sure that I want to put a bed next to it becuase my  husband's aim isn't so good in the middle of the night!!  He he!!

So I've been worried about Bo's joint health for a while now, as I noticed that her hips were "popping" while we were on our walks.  She didn't show any signs of pain, but I made a mental note of it and talked to teh vet, who said that she probably has HD, but that it's not so bad that he wanted to do anything about it.  So, it's started getting colder here (I know, we're wimps about cold in California, but it's been in the 20's at our house in the morning) and I've notice that Bo is moving slower and slower, especially when getting up from a sleeping position.  Then I started hearing her shoulders pop when she would move around...this one sounded more like knuckles cracking.  Then I noticed that she was on her tippy-toes for the first few steps after getting up from a nap.  Much to my chagrin, she chooses to sleep on the linoleum floor instead of on her down-topped tempurpedic mattress that we made for her!  I also noticed that she's becoming more hesitant when people go to pet her and often moves away when the go to pet her rump (she's a therapy dog and works with me one day a week in my psychotherapy office).  She won't give "paw" like she used to and seems to be generally more slow.  Then last night when my husband got home from work, she seemed to have a great deal of trouble getting up from the floor and had this look on her face like she was confused becuase she wanted to go to greet him but couldn't...we call it her squinchy face because her eyes are crinkled up-she usually does this when she first wakes up.  Anyway, it took her a while to get to him and she seemed to be-as strange as it sounds-embarassed.  I know Pyrs are proud dogs and she very much loves the greeting routine she has with her dad, so it almost seemed like she was embarassed that she couldn't get to him fast enough.  I feel like I'm at this crossroads with her becuase part of me is in denial doesn't want to admit that my four year old dog looks and acts like an old dog, almost over night.  The other part of me knows that I have to retire her and stop pushing her to work with people when she's obviously in some degree of discomfort.  Pyrs are so stoic about pain, that I have no idea if she's hurting.  She has started sniffing my hand when I'm rubbing her hip area trying to massage it, but she doesn't growl or try to pull away.  She's clearly not as active as she used to be, but there are times when she's fast & mobile!!  I don't know.  I called the vet today to talk and I'm waiting to hear back.  I'm assuming x-rays are next, and maybe some medication of some kind.  I've got her on a multi-vitamin that has 2000mg of glucosamine, plus Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, every day (she weighs 128lbs), but it doesn't seem to be helping.  I know what I have to do, I'm just not happy about it.  I am just so sad to see her like this...not getting on the bed, hesitating to get into the car, being so stiff when she rises.  She's too young in my mind to have this stuff going on with her. 
Anyway, that's my sad vent...thanks for listening.
Jenn, Bo & Floyd in CA

I use powdered slippery elm bark to help with loose poops.  It is sold in health food stores and is reasonsble cheap.  Bo gets the poops all the time and this works better (and faster) than pumpkin when a stronger intervention is necessary.  She has IBD, so it helps to sooth the intestines by creating more mucus (I think).  Also, marshmallow (the plant, not the dessert) also works well for indigestion.  It's also available at the health food store.
Jenn

Ah, the great bark debate.  We never really worried about Bo's bark until we moved to our new house.  From birth until 2, she lived with us on a 27 acre ranch with two other Pyrs, so barking was totally normal and accepted.  Then we moved to a new neighborhood (1/2 acre, not all fenced) with lots of dogs, but one NASTY neighbor.  My second day in the house, he came over to me and began to scream at me about "my damn dog" etc.  Needless to say, it FREAKED me out becuase I had never had anyone complain about her barking before.  Since Bo barks at pretty much ANYTHING (mouse farts, the wind, the voices in her head...), after much consideration (and citronella collars, sonic collars, etc-none of which worked), we finally decided to keep her inside during the day with access to teh garage for potty breaks.  No more complaints, but it was hard for us to adjust to not giving her free reign over the yard/house.  I think she's fine with sleeping on the couch all day, though!!  To add to the mix, Floyd is part border collie and if he doesn't get walked every other day (miles, mind you), he barks AT me non stop.  If that doesn't work, he starts to jump on me and "hound" me until I break down and walk him!!  Ah, the kids! =)
Jenn, Bo & Floyd in California