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Messages - Lucah's Folks

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31
I just got a cow bell in the mail today.  I want to train Lucah to ring it when he has to go out.  Does anyone use this technique?  How did you get your pup to do this?

32
Behavior, Housebreaking, Obedience / Re: THERESAANNMURPHY and Max
« on: November 27, 2006, 04:18:10 pm »
To add my two cents...

Just be consistent...w e take Lucah out every couple of hours.  At first it was after each meal and every nap and after playing.  But we have managed to figure out his schedule, though we still have accidents we are getting more and more confident.

As for going in the crate...you can place another card board box in there to take up some space if it is too big for your pup.

We know its frustating, but you really have to believe you can do it.  Your stress will only exacerbate the issue.  The dogs seem to know when you are frustrated and I think they respond to it negatively...s o always seem confident. And definately always have water available, the large breeds need it for proper joint development.

Time will pass and you will be pass this stage, so don't fret too much.  Just as a baby will go potty in their diapers, puppys will go when you don't want them to.

Keep the faith.

33
Old English Mastiff Discussions / Re: Lucah gets bitten!
« on: November 27, 2006, 01:09:39 am »
Thank you everyone for the well-wishing.  Lucah appreciates the thoughts.

I do want to say that though this was a very bad situation we still feel that the parks are good places to go.  We just have to be more careful, especially since this park was so large it was easy for the pups to get away from their owners.  If we had more yard space we would love to let him play at home...but unfortunately we only have so much to work with.  Luckily in this city there are plenty of parks and beaches we can go to, so we won't stop going to dog parks all together...may be just this one for a bit.



34
Old English Mastiff Discussions / Lucah gets bitten!
« on: November 26, 2006, 03:23:15 pm »
We took Lucah to a new dog park this weekend and thought it would be fun for him.  What happened was three dogs ganging up on the little guy and one of them taking a bite out of his side.  When it happened I didn't see any marks so I thought he was fine.  Not until we got to the pet store later, we noticed a small hole in his side.We didn't even get the owner information.  Had I know that they gave him a puncture  wound on his side. 

300 dollars later and some shaving lead to the pictures below.  Lucah is pretty soar today...but doesn't seem too upset.  We almost didn't go to the vet because we thought it was just a scratch...but the skin was pulled away from the flesh so a pocket was being created and this could lead to problems.

Lucah is really tired, of course, and every once in a while he cries when he gets up.  The doctor inserted a drain and gave him a seditive.  We got an e-collar and a whole bunch of antibiotics.

I just wish I got that owners information so I could foward them the bill.  I thought about going back, but I can't be too sure which dog it was so I will have to chalk this up to experience and try to be more careful next time.

I just hope he isn't too afraid to go back. 

Make sure you are careful out there everyone.

35
Food Discussion & Information / Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance??????
« on: November 22, 2006, 07:25:19 am »
Has anyone tried this food?  Curious to see what results you might have had.

36
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Re: Tell me about dog parks!
« on: November 22, 2006, 04:30:09 am »
We go the the Hermon Dog Park:

http://www.montecitohts.org/dogpark/index.html

Technically it is in Montecito Heights, as well as Hermon, as well as Highland Park...but overall it in Los Angeles.  It borders on 3 neighborhoods so everyone claims it.  The web site above describes how it got started. It is kept up pretty nicely and has small and large dog areas.  Very nice.

37
A couple of questions for you.  How long has he been on this food?   How long has he had gas/loose stools?  Does he get any other treats or chewies at all?  Has he had any vaccines or medications within the last month?  Has he been to any public areas lately?  Has he had encounters with other dogs?

There are so many things that can cause loose stools, and food is only one of them.  Before switching, I would try a few other things first, because switching itself can cause runny poops and you won't be able to pin it down.  Switching formulas within brands would have less of a runny poop effect, because the basic ingredients are likely to be from identical sources, so the differences are less of a shock to the intestines. 

I've never used the LBP, so I can't tell you from experience about any problems with it.  We started our pup on Innova Adult (not Large Breed Adult) before the Large Breed line came out. We have had such success with her on it that we decided not to switch when the new product came out.  The puppy food actually has less fat in it, not more, so too much fat likely isn't the problem.

Two of my dogs have had runny poops lately, one right after the other, and they are on different foods (Lucy, the pup, is on Innova Adult, and Mattie, the adult, is on Innova Evo), so we didn't suspect the food.  Given the sudden onset of Mattie's unpleasantness, I suspect she either ate something nasty in the yard or contracted some sort of stomach virus.  We also had a foster dog here for a few days about two weeks before.  Anyway, after the second day, we fasted her for a day then started her on some pumpkin in her food.  The poops were firming in another day and solid in two more days.  This was about the time Lucy's runny poops started.  She could have eaten the same nastiness in the yard or caught something from Mattie or the foster dog.  She also could have been having problems from an antibiotic she was on a couple of weeks ago.  So, we started her on pumpkin and yogurt in her food--the pumpkin just to firm up the stool, and the yogurt to restore her intestinal flora.  After three days, we had decent poops again.

Our long-term foster, Elli, came to us with what was termed "chronic diarrhea" and she was being fed a prescription diet that was clearly not working.  We switched her cold turkey to Innova Adult and added pumpkin to her food.  Within a couple of days her liquid poops had form to them, and within a week and a half they were firm.  We weaned her slowly from the pumpkin, and she has had firm stools ever since (about six weeks now).

So, first consider all the possible reasons for the runny poops.  If you eliminate other possible causes and the poops persist, consider switching him to the Adult (green bag) formula before switching brands altogether.  Innova is a very good food and I have yet to have a problem with it, even with any of the many fosters I have switched to it cold turkey.  On the other hand, it just may not be a good match for Lucah's needs.  But since it seems to work for most dogs so well, and because switches can cause their own problems, I would work hard to eliminate other possible causes first.

Different dogs respond differently to things in their food and in their environment.  We gave Lucy a bully stick once--just a little piece of one--and she had nasty gas for a week!  Buddy eats them with no problem.  Good luck getting to the bottom of Lucah's issues!

We e switched him to the Innova about 2 months ago.  He started out really great and it was an improvement from the Solid Gold we were giving him, so naturally we thought he was gonna do fine.  About 1 month ago he started having the loose stools, maybe once a day.  Lately it has become more and more. 

As for treets we give him biscuits that are fairly natural and simple, and he gets pieces of a Natural Balance meat log thingy. We don't think he's getting into anything, but we will keep an eye on him.

38
I'm not positive, but I wonder if you could switch him to the adult Innova.  I believe the protein and fat levels are within the range appropriate for pups.  I wonder if there is too much fat in the puppy formula for Lucah?  How old is he now?

I'm sure our more food knowledgeable members will have the answers for you.

Good luck.


Tina


Lucah is almost 6 months old. We are researching and may go with Natural Balance...but we have to look into this pumpkin thing.

39
I don't know what it is but it seems as if Lucah's food isn't agreeing with him.  He seems to have very soft stool a couple of times a day and has a lot of gas.  We have elevated his food bowl and have him on Innova large breed puppy (LBP)  which is primarliy chicken and turkey.

We are thinking of swtching his food.  We had him on Solid Gold Wolf Cub and now on Innova LBP.  Any suggestions?

40
Lucah resides in a pin that I built in a corner of our apt. out of pvc and chicken wire.  It gives him plenty of room, but keeps him and our floors safe.  The great thing abou the pin is I built it big enough so that even at full size he will be comfortable.  I don't wish to keep him there forever, but until we buy a house it works out great.

41
Leonberger Discussions / Re: Finally we got our leo puppy
« on: November 16, 2006, 12:55:12 am »
At 9 or 8 weeks Lucah got his first round DHPP and wormed. He got two more rounds of DHPP every 3 to 4 weeks after that as well as another worming.

He got a bordetella at 14 weeks and again at 16 weeks.

Finally he got the rabies at 16 weeks.  They told me that large breeds should try and hold off on the rabies until then so that they don't overdose on it since they will get another one in a year or so.

You, of course, should check with your vet for vaccinations that are specific to your area.  Some vaccines we thought we would need weren't needed since we live in Southern California.

Your puppy is really cute...sorry I don't have a size chart for you.

42
I'll tell you what...since we got Lucah our floors have never looked better.  We are constantly sweeping and cleaning.  It actually is better than before we got him because we have hardwood, and you tend not to think it's dirty because you don't really see the fine layer of dust on it.

I do miss the no-shed of my old yorkie...but i think no matter what you guys get you are sure to give it great home.

43
Collars, crates, & other cool things / UPDATE Re: Dog bed?
« on: November 06, 2006, 07:37:03 am »
My wife and I went out this weekend and started looking seriously for dog beds.  We went to half a dozen pet shops and couldn't really find anything to accomodate our big paw, Lucah.  On a whim we stopped by a futon store to see if they have a small version since Lucah loves to lay on the futon. We were there for maybe 30 minutes going back and forth on ideas and options. Finally the owner of the store shows us this tri-fold floor mat.  It is about 3 1/2 inch high foam mat that folds up.  It is primarily used as a guest bed, but could definately will work for our Lucah.

The bonus was since it was damaged they let us have it at 50 bucks!  Usually it goes for $150!  But due to a little tear in the cover, which by the way is water proof, we got it for 60% off.  The bed is made for outdoor use so it has a great water proof cover that is removable. We just throw a blanket over it for comfort.

So thanks to the Futon Shop for the hook up, of course Lucah won't sleep on the thing yet...but I think he will come around.

44
Australian Shepherd Discussions & Pictures / Re: Mojo's bag of tricks
« on: November 04, 2006, 08:01:02 am »
That's pretty awesome!  So far Lucah has figured out laying motionless for hours, passing gas without moving, and sleeping through loud noices.

We are jealous.

45
Medical Conditions & Diseases / Shedding?
« on: November 01, 2006, 02:33:18 pm »
Lucah is shedding so much I am wondering why he isn't bald yet!  I don't see any bald spots or anything but I can pull off hair pretty easily.

We have him eating Innova Large Breed puppy and for the most part it works out well.  But do I need to switch food again?  Has anyone else had this with their Mastiff? Is this just a puppy thing? 

Us and our furniture thank you for any help.

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