Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I could possibly help with transportation (I'm roughly 3 hours from Akron), but I don't have anywhere to keep him.  Don't know how my guys would react to a strange, shy male in the house.  Gosh, he's beautiful though.  Can anyone else help?

Good luck Tripper and Lily!  I know you'll do great!

They definitely get some great exercise at the tennis courts!  I love to see them get to run at full speed, chasing each other trying to steal toys!  It's a nice change from their daily walks, where they have to behave and listen to hubby and me.  The weather has been so crappy lately here in Michigan that I just don't want to let them in the back yard yet.  When it's mushy out, their big paws just tear up the ground and I don't want the yard to look like a mud pit again! 

And they are getting big!  When we got them last June, they were, I think, 67 and 69 lbs.  Now they are both 90+ and still growing.  They're still kinda thin, but at least you can't feel hip and shoulder bones protruding anymore!  You can still feel the ribs, and their abdomens tuck up a little, but it's better than being overweight.  I don't want to pack the pounds on them and have them end up with joint issues.  So far, so good.  They seem to be perfectly healthy! 

Maybe you could teach her something that would be of use while working as a therapy dog, like laying her head on someone's lap and staying in that position for petting.  It's not too exciting, but if an elderly person or a small child was a little afraid of her size, it might make them more comfortable with her.  Not exactly "fun and creative", but it might come in handy.

What a gorgeous little girl!   I love her smile!!

Hi there, Bev!

Since I have 2 pyrs and 2 little paws I thought I'd chime in here!    My little guys were here first - one is 5 years old and the other 3 years old.  We adopted the pyrs last summer and discovered quickly that we were going to have to work out a system to keep them apart most of the day.  And it sure wasn't because of the pyrs!  My little terriers bark and nip constantly at them and it just gets really annoying!  The pyrs are so sweet, though.  They just look down at them with their tails wagging.  They're not bothered at all by them!

Anyway, our system is simple.  We use a baby gate to separate them.  The little dogs get the kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms, and the pyrs get the laundry room, upstairs living room, and the two upstairs bedrooms.  Also, the little ones are paper trained, so they don't have to be let out all the time.  (the back door is through the laundry room - the pyrs' domain!)  When we do let them out, they get the yard to themselves so they can run around without worrying about getting accidentally stomped on.  We do let them play outside together sometimes, but only when we can watch them all closely so that nobody gets hurt.

I have a youtube video of them all playing together.  I already posted it here a few months ago, but it shows how the little ones run the show at my house.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkrDJYZr_QY

Good luck introducing your chihuahuas with your mom's pyr and lab-mix.  By the way, I think you're wonderful for taking them in and keeping them together. It's such a kind and loving thing to do. 

Amy

Apollo has been itching alot for the last few days.  Itching everywhere.  Legs, belly, the pads of his feet...  His skin looks fine, no redness or flaky areas.  So anyway, I took him to the vet and he thinks it's probably allergies, so he recommended 75mg of Benadryl twice a day.  I'm also now giving him 3V Caps (Omega3 fatty acids and Vitamins A, D & E) in case the problem is wintery dry skin.  He hasn't had a bath since November, so it's not a shampoo thing.

Anyway, I was a little nervous about giving 75mg, because in people we dose 1mg per kg, and in dogs apparently it's 1mg per lb. which is double.  So I started him out on 50mg because I didn't want to stone him.  He still itched like crazy but was acting normal, good energy level.  Maybe a little more calm, but OK otherwise.  So after listening to him scratch all night again, I woke up and gave him the 75mg.  Now he's laying around and looks wiped out.  But he's not scratching as much!   

Do you guys think this is okay?  Is there anything else I should be doing?    As far as allergies go, I haven't changed anything like his food or bedding or anything.  He does have an ear infection in his left ear, but he was itching before I started the ear drops for that.  I'm just at a loss right now.  Thanks for any advise!