[Milo]

Hi Guys

Milo has not quite been herself this week. Other half is taking her to the vet this afternoon to address a mild limp - think it was a bit of rough puppy play that might have caused this. However, think she might also have a cold but not sure if all the symptoms add up.

She has a very dry nose and mouth. Normally when she bites (gums) me - she has a lot of saliva but its all very dry at the moment. Her nose is also bone dry and she's drinking loads of water (more than usual). She's also sleeping a lot more and not her usual excitable self.

Thought it could be one of two things as a result of taking a swim in the pond the other day ;

(1) a chill / a cold
(2) gulped a bit too much of the pond water and its not agreeing with her ?

Any ideas ?

 

[Lucy]

Hi, sorry to hear Milo isn't very well. I'm sure someone with more experience will be with you soon - just wanted to wish you well with the vets. Let us know how you get on.

Lucy and Mario

 

[scottyman]

well - will be taking her down in the next hour or so, and will see what the vet says.
she ate all of her food this morning, but has been sleeping all day! (much longer than normal)
will see what happens.

 

[Kev]

Hi

How old is she ? Could be teething problems or picked up something out of the pond.Buster went in a fish pond and caught conjunctivis from it.

Hope she is okay.let us know how you get on

Kev

 

[scottyman]

i think it could be a bit of both - she's got a couple of big scratches on her belly which have scabbed over nicely - she's definitely teething - but I'm worried about infection.
she's a little loon, so it's hard to tell if she's resting or there's something wrong.

thanks for that tho

 

[Milo]

14 Weeks Old. Will update you in a few hours after the vet !

Thanks guys !

 

[NicolaL]

Hi there

I'm so sorry to hear that Milo has been under the weather. Please let us know how you got on.

Take care.

All the best,
Nic
X

 

[shelley]

Hope all went well at the vets

Best wishes
Shelley

 

[mommy]

Hi,

Just wondered how Milo got on today?

 

[frodosmom]

Hi....

Awww poor baby milo...hope she'd doing good today.... What did the vet have to say....

Get well soon Baby Milo

 

[scottyman]

Apologies for the delay. Vet visit went well. Long story short - a couple of major outcomes ;

(1) Exercise. We've been told to reduce the amount of exercise she has daily. We've been averaging about 2 x 45 minute walks in the common and he's advised - for now - to take it down to 20 minutes a day.
He thinks she's a little sensitive in the hips - does not know if its normal growth pains or something more serious. Her parents hip scores are exemplary so he's more inclined to thinking its just her over-doing it with exercise and excitment.

(2) Skin. She was scratching and also had a few little pimples on her belly. He said she had a mild form of acne and told us to not use any plastic bowls or dishes. Fortunately we had moved off her puppy bowls recently and she now has stainless steel bowls. He said also to restrict her diet to just her food (Eukanuba Puppy) and avoid all treats until things settle down. She's now on Metacam (anti-inflamatory) (once a day for three days) and Antirobe (skin treatment) (twice a day for a week).

So as you can imagine - she's been quite a handful - only 20 minutes of exercise in a day and no treats but she's been a real gem and there is definitely a marked improvement.

We took her into town yesteday (Wimbledon) for a gentle walk around - and she was so good - sat quite comfortably with all the people and traffic around her. Obviously quite enjoyed all the attention she got from passer bys !

So for now - all is well on the Wimbledon Milo front ! Will keep you all posted.

 

[JohnW]

20 minutes exercise is plenty for a puppy of that age. Aim at roughly 5 minutes per month of age. Remember, you would not expect a 14 week old child to walk for 1.5 hours a day!

Puppy eczema is quite common and although can point to a diet problem often disappears as quickly as it comes. As to bowls, plastic bowls are often cited as a cause of loss of pigmentation! I won’t say yes or no! Suffice to say I only ever used them with one dog and her pigmentation was never as good as it might have been!!!

Treats often have a fair amount of colorant in them to make them look attractive to the owners!! (Dog's don’t see the colours as we do so it has no meaning at all to them!) If you want to give a treat then keep just a little of their food back and use that as rewards.

Regards, John

 

[scottyman]

Sound advice John - thank you very much. Very interesting that you make a note of the pigmentation issue. We noticed just last night that the lower level hair on her tail was turning slightly blonde / white.

Oh well - as they say - most dog training is all about educating the owners - not the poor puppy ! We're on the mend and she's chasing insects in the garden as I type !

 

[JohnW]

Rushing around in the garden is fine. As soon as a puppy gets tired it can crash out and sleep. The problem with lead exercise is that he has to continue till we stop. Not the same thing at all. Far and away the biggest reason for early lead walking is form the point of view of socialising. The 5 minute rule is not as restrictive as it might seem because a 15 minute walk can easily take an hour! 7 minutes walking to the common, 45 minutes sitting on the grass watching a bit of a cricket match while the puppy rests and takes in the sights plus 7 minutes walking back home.

Try to aim the walks at socialising. Go to see cattle in the field, school children walking home, traffic driving along the roads. All the meny things a puppy needs to learn about to grow up as a "Bomb proof" adult.

Regards, John

 

[Milo]

Thanks John - sound advice which has been well heeded. We've noticed a marked improvement in her over the last few weeks keeping the exercise and activity to a minimum !

 

[scottyman]

or days
I suppose the problem is - given her size, it's hard to tell that she's a puppu still!

 

[JohnW]

You're more than welcome.

Regards, John