This is very true. A lot of people just make this for money, and don't care to give a good care to the mother and the puppies.
As for my dog, I searched for a good breeder to buy it from.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Golden Retriver owners, please help me
- Thread starter 66217
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
This is very true. A lot of people just make this for money, and don't care to give a good care to the mother and the puppies.
As for my dog, I searched for a good breeder to buy it from.
oh im sorry if i did not make myself clear, i meant that you should not try to use any prescribed medicines for certain parasites unless absolutely sure what kind of parasite you are dealing with. Also something i forgot to say, his bedding and blankets and everything he uses, wash them every three days in the washer machine, but DO NOT use any detergent, just water will do and if not coloured a cap full of bleach is good too. because this will get rid of pretty much all bacteria and parasites...
The best treatment for fleas and ticks is revolution; which are liquid drops that are applied to the top of their head. The medicine then gets soaked into the bloodstream through the skin and attacks the fleas/ticks when they are feeding on your dog's blood.
But I suspect your dog has skin allergies:
1) Get rid of the Tide detergent with the irritating fragrance and switch to Arm & Hammer fragrance free.
2) Get rid of the fabric softener too and switch to Downey fragrance free.
3) Get rid of the carpet deodoriser that's coming in contact with your dog's skin.
4) Give your dog a bath in some kind of soap that has no fragrance like Ivory.
5) A low thyroid level can cause your dog to have dry skin and get hot flashes.
But I suspect your dog has skin allergies:
1) Get rid of the Tide detergent with the irritating fragrance and switch to Arm & Hammer fragrance free.
2) Get rid of the fabric softener too and switch to Downey fragrance free.
3) Get rid of the carpet deodoriser that's coming in contact with your dog's skin.
4) Give your dog a bath in some kind of soap that has no fragrance like Ivory.
5) A low thyroid level can cause your dog to have dry skin and get hot flashes.
I have a 5-y.o. female Golden (she's actually a service dog, as I'm quadriplegic), and also live in a hot and humid climate, so I can definitely relate to the skin issues. I'd heartily second everything everyone else has posted: get rid of chemical irritants in the home, try various diets as skin and digestion go hand-in-hand (my Sydney is on Purina Pro Plan lamb & rice), and definitely use Advantage.
Also, I have a couple of thoughts from my own experience that might help:
1) During the warm months, keep your dog's coat clipped short. I know a lot of people are all about keeping a long, silky coat on their Goldens, but in warm climates it's just not that comfortable for many dogs, as the coat traps heat. You have to put your dog's needs above your own aesthetic pleasure. And make sure your groomer uses appropriate shampoos. Mine uses a gentle, baking-soda based shampoo that not only is soothing, but it helps her doggy-scent, too. I'll attach a photo of my girl so you can see how I keep her coat.
2) Goldens are notoriously neurotic and can get fixated on licking a particular spot long after the initial irritant is gone. The absolute best way to keep the obsessive impulses under control is by giving the dog something else to drain their physical and mental energy. Long, disciplined walks are a must (we take ours in the early morning -- it's not yet hot, and the mosquitos aren't as bad as near dusk). These are highly intelligent working dogs, and if you don't channel that energy, they'll find an unhealthy outlet for it. Even playing fetch can help. We play a game where I put rags in empty water bottles; one has a few drops of scented oil, and the others are clean. I hide all the bottles, and she has to find the right one to get a treat. If I've been sick for a few days and she hasn't gotten her normal levels of stimulation, she starts licking and chewing obsessively.
3) Make sure you've ruled out an underlying medical problem. Dogs often lick the skin over where something hurts, and the weather can certainly make certain conditions flare up.
4) Get your vet to refer you to a veterinary dermatologist (yup, they exist), or, if possible, a veterinary acupuncturist (yup, they also exist). I've had great success with acupuncture helping Sydney's anxiety when we travel.
Good luck!
Also, I have a couple of thoughts from my own experience that might help:
1) During the warm months, keep your dog's coat clipped short. I know a lot of people are all about keeping a long, silky coat on their Goldens, but in warm climates it's just not that comfortable for many dogs, as the coat traps heat. You have to put your dog's needs above your own aesthetic pleasure. And make sure your groomer uses appropriate shampoos. Mine uses a gentle, baking-soda based shampoo that not only is soothing, but it helps her doggy-scent, too. I'll attach a photo of my girl so you can see how I keep her coat.
2) Goldens are notoriously neurotic and can get fixated on licking a particular spot long after the initial irritant is gone. The absolute best way to keep the obsessive impulses under control is by giving the dog something else to drain their physical and mental energy. Long, disciplined walks are a must (we take ours in the early morning -- it's not yet hot, and the mosquitos aren't as bad as near dusk). These are highly intelligent working dogs, and if you don't channel that energy, they'll find an unhealthy outlet for it. Even playing fetch can help. We play a game where I put rags in empty water bottles; one has a few drops of scented oil, and the others are clean. I hide all the bottles, and she has to find the right one to get a treat. If I've been sick for a few days and she hasn't gotten her normal levels of stimulation, she starts licking and chewing obsessively.
3) Make sure you've ruled out an underlying medical problem. Dogs often lick the skin over where something hurts, and the weather can certainly make certain conditions flare up.
4) Get your vet to refer you to a veterinary dermatologist (yup, they exist), or, if possible, a veterinary acupuncturist (yup, they also exist). I've had great success with acupuncture helping Sydney's anxiety when we travel.
Good luck!
Attachments
Well we had a beagle that suffered from scratching all the time to the point of bleeding.
We tried changing her food and it had no effect and the food changed costed us a lot of money because we had to feed it to our lab as well because the beagle would go eat her food as well and to make matter worse it did not work.
We end up going the shot route every few months we took her in to get a shot. We knew it was going to shorten her life but it seem to be the only way to end her suffering. Plus having her blood on the carpet was never fun to clean up.
Now if you go the shot route you have to realize that you arena to going to be doing them year round but just during the summer when the scratching happens.
If you choose the shot route it means just take her in when ever her scratching becomes an issue. That how we did it with out beagle until she died. She died at 10 years old but I might like to point out she had a long list of medical problems that caused her life to be shorten. She had a heart murmur, her thyroid was in bad shape, she was inbreed ed and for a years she was very over weight. At the time of her death she was down to 30lb and off her dieted. When we started her diet she was close to 50lb. She her early death had a long list of reasons behind it and the monthly shots just did not help much but the vet thinks the main cause of her early death was the beagle other medical problems.
We tried changing her food and it had no effect and the food changed costed us a lot of money because we had to feed it to our lab as well because the beagle would go eat her food as well and to make matter worse it did not work.
We end up going the shot route every few months we took her in to get a shot. We knew it was going to shorten her life but it seem to be the only way to end her suffering. Plus having her blood on the carpet was never fun to clean up.
Now if you go the shot route you have to realize that you arena to going to be doing them year round but just during the summer when the scratching happens.
If you choose the shot route it means just take her in when ever her scratching becomes an issue. That how we did it with out beagle until she died. She died at 10 years old but I might like to point out she had a long list of medical problems that caused her life to be shorten. She had a heart murmur, her thyroid was in bad shape, she was inbreed ed and for a years she was very over weight. At the time of her death she was down to 30lb and off her dieted. When we started her diet she was close to 50lb. She her early death had a long list of reasons behind it and the monthly shots just did not help much but the vet thinks the main cause of her early death was the beagle other medical problems.
What kind of shots do you refer to? The cortisone shots?
I prefer, and I think also my dog would, to give him cortisone (either in shots or in oral medication) and prevent these hot spots. With the negative side that maybe he will die younger.
What I am not sure about, is if cortisone just make them die younger without too much suffering, or would they suffer their last years?
Honestly could not tell you.. It was either some type of steroid or it was cortisone shots since it was my dad who was the one who dealt with it.
As for your other question. As for trade of cutting some time off her life to end the suffering I believe it was a good trade because it end our dog suffering.
When she was not on the shots she had several open sores and fire was missing in several locations from her scratching.
As for Daisy (our dog) death up until the day she died she was completely normal and happy and did not suffer like she was in pain at all. The day she died was the only day she acted strange and that was she just did not really move much and did not eat in the morning. Also that same day our other dog did not eat at all and was not very playful. They both acted like they knew that Daisy was going to die that day.
I hope that explains it. Your dog would not suffer at all even at the end of its life even if that is a little sooner.