Posts made by curlytails

Is this a Taiwan dog by any chance?

Oops, doubletake. You mentioned cranberry supplements right in your first post. Sorry for repeating the obvious! (unless it was edited?)

I don't know if it helps to get some kind of broader urinalysis at this point, to see what her urine "typically" consists of when she's not fighting infections?

Would lots of cranberry-infused treats, or cranberry supplements help? It helps for people…

So happy to hear that he's doing well, and in such loving company, and with a cool new name!

I didn't get a chance to send this picture to you before I left on my trip, Joanne – but I may as well attach it here. This was "Q-Ball" at the Oakland shelter, bursting with personality and energy from the getgo.

So very sad, wow. Your anecdotes of him left an impression on me as a wonderful example of all that a Basenji could become in a good, long life. R.I.P.

I'm late to the party, and only skimmed the previous comments… but I just wanted to add that we're huge Honest Kitchen fans here. It's a great, in-between step for us between a fully raw diet and kibble. My dogs got hooked on the Zeal (fish) recipe, which we happened to order on a fantastic buy-one-get-one-free deal for the 10 pound boxes (and they loved every pound of it!). Others in our regular mix now include Embark (grain-free turkey), Force (grain-free chicken), Keen (turkey and oats), and Preference (meat-free veggie mix that allows you to add any protein you'd like, in whatever ratios you feel is appropriate).

If high protein is a concern, you might want to try Acana, also by Champion Pet Foods, the makers of Orijen. We don't really feed Orijen anymore since they bumped the protein ratio up, but my two do very well on Acana. I do a lot of fish-based kibbles. Acana Pacifica is less expensive than Orijen Six Fish, for example... and definitely less than Ziwipeak. May be something to consider...

Edited to add: the Honest Kitchen also has a line of natural digestive supplements called Perfect Form that's pretty easy to add to any of their dehydrated meals, and helps smooth things out on the other end.

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/supplements/perfect-form

They offer cheap sample pouches on the site if you don't want to spring for a whole canister (they also offer sample versions of everything else). I keep a canister on hand for the occasional stomach upset, and it works pretty well for us in the months when canned pumpkin is not available…

Woofless, 3500 acres?? I can't even imagine!

For our experience, I did also do a personal "census" for a while, because I was curious too. I live in a semi-urban university town nestled amidst some urban and less urban areas (I wouldn't call any of my immediate area suburban). Lots of single-family homes with small or modest backyards, which we do have, but that's not where the dogs get their exercise. Lots of people around here live in apartments with no yards, as well. So our dogs typically get daily walks around the neighborhood in the evening, and I take them to one of the local off-leash dog parks every day.

Local culture has made this a pretty dog-friendly area with lots of public use land available for canine social activity. I consider us pretty spoiled in that regard. On each average weekday, we interact with 40 ~ 70 dogs in an off-leash environment when I take them to the 23 acre dog park (over 200 Yelp check-ins since February of last year, and still counting) – but I counted both passing and actual greetings in my tally. Bowdu my Shiba is better with just a cursory sniff, while Bowpi loves to check out and gently sniff nearly every dog she sees. On the weekends, it just gets too congested at that park -- one can easily hit three digits in a one-hour visit -- so we go to some of the less dense trails, where the dog count per visit usually stays under 20.

I do not count people, but my dogs generally ignore them all equally. Unless they happen to have treats or something.

I started counting because I wanted to get a sense for myself just how "socialized" my dogs are, relative to the number of other creatures they encounter. Truth told, I was concerned about how my Shiba in particular doesn't always get along with every dog he meets. But once I started counting, I realized that the other dogs that he gruffs at are very few and far between, and there's ALWAYS a reason -- the young, exuberant Lab who literally plowed into his side when bounding over a blind hill, the unneutered Boston Terrier who was snort-breathing in his face and wanted to push him aside to pee on all the bushes, the pack of JRT that swarmed my Basenji and made her squeal. So doing the census also helped me learn which dogs and situations to avoid, or at least anticipate.

They meet far fewer dogs on their leashed walks around the neighborhood. I can't even imagine if 40+ dogs a day was the number of LEASHED encounters -- my trouble dog is a very different beast, and not at all interested in being sociable in that situation!

It sounds to me like your Fuji is very well socialized and very sociable as well, as not every dog can be that gregarious both on leash and off. I recall that with the BRAT application, there is a section that asks you to describe your daily routine with your dog (if you have one). I'm sure you would be able to provide a convincing narrative that a backyard is not at all necessary for adequate exercise or mental stimulation. I think though that a setting with more space (which you read as "surburban" or "rural") is implied is because not every dog is psychologically equipped to deal with a flood of new social interactions -- especially not rescues, who sometimes come from unknown backgrounds. Or maybe exactly because their background is known.

My Shiba, for example, came to us as a puppy from a VERY urban, extremely populated setting, where virtually nobody has backyards and there were no dog parks (Taipei). He never learned to like it. Even when moving to the States, he had to adapt to becoming comfortable in a large range of social settings. He's less fearful now, years later, but I don't think he'll ever truly ENJOY interacting with most dogs and most people. He's happy enough sniffing his own bushes and running in his own space. I'm okay with the idea that I'm probably more interested in meeting a wide range of dogs and people than he is... and that my Basenji also has different socialization priorities. But if you threw them into an environment like the streets of Manhattan without having known anything like that before (and most living creatures in the world have NOT), well, there will be a period of acclimation, regardless...

Almost looks Basenji-Beagle-something else to me. His back legs are rather, well, leggy! And slightly more Basenji than JRT to me. The nicely curled tail, of course… but many dogs have curly tails.

He looks mischievous, and cute.

@DebraDownSouth:

At that price, you could fly out to visit me, get Southern food, get the teeth done and go back home. I find that utterly outrageous.

And every time you share your local prices, I think about doing exactly what you propose above.

If I traveled more often, it would be SO worth it to create a list of trustworthy vets around the country just for cases like this.

That's one reason I'd like to try out UC Davis next time, though it's about an hour and a half away from me. I don't have the name of a specific vet, but the folks I know who have gone there are pretty satisfied and cite lower prices on big things like dental work, at least enough to make the trip worthwhile – given the quality of expertise.

I know someone else in the area who has a Basenji with CUPS. I don't know how he manages it. Another Shiba friend spent $2000 on a crown for a cracked molar!

I'm not familiar with LA area Basenji meetups, but congrats on the big move!!

I waited until February, which was nat'l pet dental month, to do Bowpi. Scouted out several vets in the area and had estimates ranging from $600 ~ $1300, but all the vets in my area knock off 20 - 25% during pet dental month. In the end, the final bill was something in the mid-$400s after the discount. My vet did a fine job, no extractions – if one was necessary, it would have been something like $90 a tooth or $170 a molar. Yikes!

In my limited experience, if you don't have a specific vet that you completely trust with all your pet's needs, then you may as well shop around and get a few dental estimates (my estimate appointments were all free). They seem to vary a LOT around here, and you have options -- so go with whomever you feel comfortable with. All the vets I spoke to insisted that modern anesthetics are sighthound-safe. In my case, even after shopping around, my regular vet won the "bid," and I'm happy to pass along a rec if you want it. I'm in the East Bay. I think if/when I have to do this again, I would make the trip out to UC Davis.

I like the naming backstory, and the pictures are great. Really shows her personality. Welcome!

Great example of how your persistence + internet reach really DOES help. I'm so happy for you both.

Yes!! Bowpi loves to "box" when she gets excited. But she doesn't have much follow-through. It's adorable. I'm not quite sure what she's thinking. I take it as an expression of her excitement and desire to be involved. She usually starts boxing when our Shiba tries to roughhouse with her, or when the Shiba is roughhousing with other humans – and she inserts herself into the mix.

This puts a terrible lump in my throat, but I can only imagine it's a fraction of what you're agonizing over. I know you've loved AJ and will do so up to the very end I think it is brave of you to be so honest to the forum. I can't add to what others have said… More experienced voices have already voiced what I wish I knew how to say.

Please check in and let us know how you are when you are able.

Thinking of you while Oakley mends and heals. Glad you were able to get him in quick!

So quick… but there's never enough time to prepare. I'm sorry... rest in peace.

I've seen similar products, but haven't tried any of them… Am interested in hearing from others about this and other water additives though.

My first question would be who is the Veterinary Oral Health Council, and does it really matter if HealthyMouth has been VOHC-approved? Or is the list of approved products based on who pays to have it approved, etc.?
http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm

I started to look a little at this organization, but don't really have a sense of how legitimate it is.

How extremely tragic… My heart sunk reading about how it happened. I'm so sorry, but I thank you for sharing, even in your grief.

Just the thought makes me wince… I'm glad this ended well!