Struggling With Play Time

[calicosrspecial]

Let's hope. I am glad you in contact with the vet. Let me know how he does.

It is pretty amazing. Some cats are "dog" cats. Maybe Ember is? It is really cool.

Oh, that isn't uncommon or that bad. I am sure his size is intimidating. Yes, that is good progress. I suspect she will be fine with him in time. He seems like a really good dog to the other animals.

Let me know how Osiris is doing. I am hoping it is just a lingering thing and he is on the way to recovery.

Thanks for the update.

 

[Animal Freak]

No more vomiting since Monday, but he has had diarrhea a few times. I mentioned it to my normal vet while at work yesterday and he said that might just be things moving out of him and just to keep a close eye on him for now. I am a little confused because I've never had to be referred to an emergency clinic. I have some questions about Si's new diet and what he can and can't eat. I didn't ask initially because they told me he was diagnosed with chronic intermittent vomiting and diahrrea and that he needed the special food for the first time when we went to pick him up. At that point, I was a bit surprised but also just wanted to get my dog back. Now I'm kind of confused what this all means for him, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be talking to the emergency vet who diagnosed and treated him or my normal vet.

Ember wasn't when we first got Stella, but she sure seems to be now. Poor Stella had to put up with being attacked and Si just waltzes in and is accepted no problem.

He is good with them. He's a little rude, but he certainly doesn't mean any harm and just wants to be friends. The problem is definitely more with Stella. I am hoping she gets better as he matures and learns some more manners.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I am so glad there is no more vomiting. On the diarrhea but his tummy and everything could still be unsettled. It is good you are keeping your vet up on everything.

I would definitely be in contact with the emergency vet since they are closest to the situation, examining, diagnosing, treating, etc. Sometimes they are difficult to get a hold of but they should get back to you in time. So I would definitely ask them all you question and for any clarifications and also keep your normal vet up on what they are saying.

Isn't that the way it is?

He really is. I am impressed but sometimes big dogs are really good. Yes, he doesn't know his size etc I am guessing. I think she will get better in time. They tend to work things out. It will be fine.

I have my fingers crossed Si is almost through this. I sure am hoping. Hang in there and good luck!!!

 

[Animal Freak]

Poo seems back to normal though the color changed, but I'm guessing that's because of the change in food. Still no more vomiting, so looking good. Eating fine. We finished the deworming medicine yesterday, so now just the antibiotic.

Alright, can do. I thought it made sense to contact the vet who had diagnosed the issue, but wasn't sure if they wanted to be bothered with trivial things or perhaps they had too much to handle. I hate to keep a vet busy when they have animals to take care of.

He's very much unaware of his size. And his entire backend. I try to teach him to be nice and respectful to her. Hopefully those things will stick one day. He isn't intentional mean or rude to her, but sometimes I think he forgets to look down when he walks and his legs are so much longer than hers.

Me too. Thank you.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Oh good!!! Yes, the food and the changes can do that. Whew, no more vomiting. An eating fine. Fingers crossed. Good on the de-worming being done. And anti-biotics can cause stomach/intestinal issues so nothing surprising. I hope that was what it was. Come Si, get healthy!!

Oh no, it is totally fine for you to contact them. It is important to keep them up. It actually helps them as well as they can learn from it. They are busy but to help. But I would also keep your vet up as well so they know.

Yep, that is common for big dogs. He is a sweetie so definitely not out of meanness.

 

[Animal Freak]

Well, still good. I'm going to have to work a vet or an animal shelter for as long as Ash and Osiris are alive because they're special diets are ridiculously expensive and I get a good deal on them from Purina for working at a vet. Even if I got a higher paying job, I'm not sure it would make up for the cost of Si's food with how much he eats.

That's good to know. I've never been through this so wasn't sure how it worked. They seemed pretty busy both times we went up there and didn't want to bother them. Sometimes I think I forget vets are vets because they want to help animals. It's not like it's a job you take because you have no other options and need the money. Oh yes, my vet has been kept up to date. I sent text updates while Si was at the emergency vet and have updated him when I went into work this past week. He gets notes from the emergency vet too.

Definitely a sweetie, but he still didn't care for the cats at the vet office when I took him. I can't say I really expected him to, but I was kind of hoping. He did a little better with Gyzmo the last time he had to go.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I am so glad to hear he is doing well still. Oh, I know, it can be so expensive. What is Ash on and what for?

Yes. Remember, you are the customer so just be respectful BUT always make sure you don't leave any questions unanswered and remember that it actually helps them understand what works, etc. So both parties can benefit but since you are the customer you deserve the satisfaction. Exactly. It is a passion or a calling rather than "just a job". OH good, I am glad your vet is up to date.

Yes. Well, sometimes that happens. It is good he got along better with Gyzmo though!!

I am so glad he is doing better and that you are doing well and learning more as well. Whew, let's hope he is nearing full recovery.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I wanted to check in and make sure you are doing ok. I hope you are not in the areas where the weather is so bad. I am hoping you are just busy or needed a break from posting.

Hope you and everyone are doing well.

 

[Animal Freak]

Sorry, everything got pretty hectic with school. Seems like they make all the deadlines at the same time and then all of a sudden there's next to nothing. We have gotten snow--more than I'm used to--but we're not in a really bad area. I couldn't get to work for a few days and my class was done virtually this week.

Unfortunately, Osiris has started vomiting again. Not frequently like he had been when we had to take him to the emergency vet, but it's happened a few times. We're trying a new medicine to see if that will help and he may need to be on it permanently. He's fine in every other way though and has had a blast in the snow.

I'm also now planning on trying to train him as my service dog. I think he'll do well if he wants to. My biggest concern is he tends to only be willing to work for food and even then only work so hard. If he doesn't want to work then it likely won't work out. We got him out today and he did well. We went to Rural King. I stayed outside with him while my mom went shopping because I didn't want to risk getting caught by a dog inside, but he did well. Distracted of course, but handled cars driving by and people walking around. Barked at his reflection in the doors once and barked at a man once when we rejoined my mom. Then we went to a park which had a dog park with two dogs in it and people sledding on the hills all around. He barked at the people sledding at first, but got over it within a few minutes and did better seeing the other dogs than I expected.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I am SO GLAD to hear that is was "only" school. Yes, it does seem like everything always happens at once. :/ Same with life in general though so it is good practice I guess.

Oh, I am so glad the weather for you wasn't too bad. I started fearing you were in that horrible stuff too many people are facing. Whew, I am so glad you are safe.

Poor Osiris. It is good that it is less frequent. But not good it is still happening. Does he eat too fast? Or drink too much before or after eating? Or during? It is good he acts normal otherwise. Fingers crossed the new medicine helps.

That is a great idea. He is super smart. Yes, they have to want to and sometimes when they are so smart they don't always. :/ BUT it is worth a try. It sounds like he did really well. And for a puppy he does really well. Really exciting to hear that you are going to try. He is definitely (on paper) a perfect match. Fingers crossed!!!

Thanks for the update!! I feel much better now!!! I am so glad you are doing well.

 

[Animal Freak]

Yeah, it just got to be a lot and I was dealing with quite a bit of stress.

We did get a good few inches of snow that we aren't used to getting, but nothing major. We used to get a lot more snow even when I was a child.

He definitely eats pretty fast, but he doesn't throw up just right after eating. It's usually early morning before I feed him or at least a couple of hours after eating. He eats in his kennel with the door shut, so no access to water while eating and doesn't get a drink before breakfast.

Yes, I think would be nice to have a service dog and he definitely has a lot of good traits that would make him good for it. He's definitely food motivated, but I just don't know how he'll do when there's no longer any food involved. He's a good, stable dog though. Doesn't startle too easily and recovers quickly when he does. I wouldn't qualify to buy a service dog since none of my issues are severe enough and there just aren't enough dogs to go around to everyone who could benefit from one, but training my own is a good (and cheaper) alternative. I had sort of given up on the idea of getting a service dog since I didn't think I'd qualify based on my understanding, but we watched a show about these people who matched rescue dogs to people with disabilities and helped them train the dogs as service dogs. Some those dogs weren't really taught anything to really help the people with their disabilities though! I was surprised by how little a few of them actually did. Osiris will definitely be trained to do more, but I just don't need the help too frequently. But it got me thinking about it again and I did the research. The laws on service dogs are actually very broad and lenient, plus there's almost no way to enforce them as long as the dog is well-behaved.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Yes. :/ But you got through it. Always try to take it in step and never give up and you'll get through it and as you handle it in time it does get a bit easier to manage.

Well, that is good it wasn't too bad and you could handle it.

Hmmmmmm. Nothing obvious. :/ Does he run around a lot before throwing up?

I think it is a great idea. He definitely has the ability to be a service dog. The intelligence, sounds like the temperament. And you have the ability to train him. I think it is a great idea and it will be a great learning experience. I think you are exactly correct on every point you make!!

 

[Animal Freak]

Yes, finally. Not without the stress causing some physical issues, but I did get through it. I do think I'm going to include some training to help with my anxiety/stress in Si's service dog training.

Yeah, we couldn't get the car out for a while but eventually I had to get it dug out. It was a lot of fun though. Osiris really liked it. Stella hasn't been getting walks though because everything was covered in snow and there was no way for her to get out of it. Plus I did walk her in the snow once and her knee went out. I've never seen her have trouble in the snow, but it was one of the very few times it didn't go back in on its own. But now it's going to be almost 60 degrees tomorrow! The snow is already nearly gone.

Nope. His most common time to throw up is before I even get out of bed in the morning, let alone let him out of the kennel. And he did throw up this morning, unfortunately.

He does have the ability. I was really quite surprised with how well he did walking around the parking lot at the store. There were quite a few cars driving around and it honestly made me a bit nervous, but he was unfazed. He's just a tad lazy and unfocused. The focus I think will improve with training and maturity. It's kind of weird how lenient the laws on service dogs are though. I mean, there's really no way of knowing if a dog is a service dog or not. The only thing any businesses/organizations can do is ask you take your dog out if the dog is acting up. Otherwise, there's only two questions they're allowed to ask and it would be pretty easy to lie. Of course I plan on following the rules, but it makes sense why so many people get away with taking fake service dogs into stores.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Ughhhhh, stress can do that. Maybe when the grades are in you might see that you stressed too much? It is easier said than done but try to break it down and focus on a few things and then move to the next rather than get overwhelmed by everything. And being stressed only holds back thought, uses energy unproductively, etc. So the more you learn how to deal and curb it the more positive you will be able to handle it.

It is a really good idea to include the training to include stress. Dogs/animals can be amazing to help with anxiety and stress. Great idea!!

Oh my. Not having a car for a while. It was fun? You had a good attitude which helps a lot!!! Oh, I am sure Si liked it. I am sure he wondered "what is that"? Poor Stella, that must be hard on her. :/ I am glad to hear that the temperature is going to be better. In Texas someone said it is 70degrees today. HOPEFULLY, that will help them. Poor Si will miss the snow. :/ BUT it is better for the humans!!!

Do you think he gets anxiety? Does he throw up when he really needs to go out? Hmmmm, poor guy. Odd it would be early in the morning. Must be hours since he ate last?

He sure seems like it. And his breed is good. That is great he did so well. Especially for being so young still AND being protective of you. Do you really think he is lazy and unfocused? Or do you think he is under control. It is hard to know BUT keep observing him. I wonder if he just is more disciplined than he may appear. The focus will improve with training and you'll see his capabilities, etc. He seems mature to me (like really mature) BUT I don't see him in person. He seems like an amazing dog.

Yeah, I don't know much about the laws. I am very pro dog so I am like as long as a dog doesn't cause trouble then "go for it". I like when people bring their dogs in to the coffee shop or a restaurant. Not that I have been for a year now. In England they are very dog friendly. A lot of it is cultural. No, it is hard to know. I guess by their demeanor to some degree but other than that. Yes, I wouldn't worry about you and your dog. You can handle it as you are responsible. It is the irresponsible people that kinda ruin it for everyone else. :/

I am so glad you are feeling better and the stress is reduced. I am sure you did well. Hopefully, you can learn how to handle it better next time so you don't get ill. I know you can!!

 

[Animal Freak]

Definitely stressed too much. I had my first speech due and got a better grade than I expected. I do have an agenda to help me sort things out, but a lot of times before I get them sorted I tend to look at everything I have to do and just sort of freeze up. And those few minutes of just being completely overwhelmed are enough for me to have problems.

Yeah, I mean even just having him around will likely help, but I do still want to teach a couple of things to help. I'm still figuring everything out though.

Haha. I'm young enough to still be able to enjoy the snow. Osiris had fun which made it fun. Hard to not enjoy it when your dog is trying to find snowballs that you threw or eat the snow you tossed into the air. Stella usually enjoys the snow, but she gets over it pretty quickly and this was more than she's used to getting at one time. I have no idea what happened to her knee though. It's weird being over 50 degrees and there still being patches of snow though.

Osiris's energy honestly reminds me of Stella's. He gets antsy where she doesn't, but that can easily be explained by the age difference. Stella, on the other hand, actually has more stamina. She can go hours if you want her to. Osiris you take to a new place for half an hour and he pretty much crashes in the backseat the whole way home. His favorite thing to do (other than eat) is sleep on the couch. "Lazy" might not be the correct word, but something similar to it. He likes doing things, but wears out quickly. His focus could definitely be better. Stella has more focus than him though her excitability gets in the way. But again, that's likely an age thing as well as just training and continuing to build our bond. I think our relationship has improved quite a bit recently and I have noticed him doing pretty well when out and about. We took him out today because I had an allergy shot appointment and my mom needed to stop at the store real quick. He got practice staying the car and getting out into new places (not inside anywhere though). He, once again, did better than I expected. Only barked once, at my mom of all people when she was coming back from the store.

There's really not much to know. The federal law is fairly vague and states can have their own laws as long as they don't interfere with the federal law. So in my state, service dogs in training are granted the same access as full service dogs, but not all states allow that. I'm pretty much the same. If dogs are well behaved, I don't care where they are, on or off leash. I can understand why they wouldn't be welcomed in restaurants (not everyone appreciates fur in their food). But the problem is most people can't be bothered to teach their dogs to act right. In one of the few dog friendly stores around here, a guy had his lab off-leash and the dog came right up to Stella.

Yeah, me too.

 

[calicosrspecial]

It happens though. BUT you got a better grade than you expected!!! That is normal to get overwhelmed, everyone does at times. The key is to learn from each time and hopefully improve for the future. I think you can learn to handle it better and better. I have a lot of belief in you that you can.

Agreed. I think it will be fun and a good learning experience. I know you will figure it out.

Hahahaha, yes, youth. It does help when someone is enjoying it along with you. That sounds so cute. I wish you could have gotten video. Oh, I didn't realize Stella had problems with her knee this time. Ohhhhh, poor Stella. Hmmmm, it must have been a lot of snow?

I see about Osiris. That could just be puppy energy etc. Will be interesting to see what he is like in a year. Sometimes it is interest rather than lazy. And I do believe the smarter they are the more bored they get. :/ I wonder if that is part of it. Good job Si!!! Was he excited to see your mom?

Interesting. I never really was aware of what laws there are. I am not surprised you are the same with regard to dogs. Hahaha, I get feral cat tails in my mouth fairly often (yes, REALLY gross!!!) so a little dog hair isn't that bad to me!!! Hahahahaha. I agree, it is the parent that is usually the issue and not the animal. :/



I think as time goes by you will see that you are capable of much more than you realize now. Since you are very aware I think you will if you put your mind to it. And hopefully that will help you better handle stress in the future. I think it will.

 

[Animal Freak]

Yes, I know I never need to stress as much as I do, but it's hard not to. I just freak myself out and a lot of times it's just for a few minutes, but that's enough for me.

Yes, it'll be interesting.

Winter isn't worth it without snow. I do enjoy it. It wouldn't be as much fun without a dog to play in it with though. I do have some videos though not of me throwing snow. Too hard to do by yourself. I have to get them uploaded though. It wasn't really a lot of snow, but for such a small dog it was a bit much. I think it covered 1/3 to 1/2 of her legs depending on the place. We're usually lucky to get an inch at a time.

Definitely some puppy energy still. Well, more an inability to control his energy. He's definitely a pretty chill, laid back dog. He enjoys his time on the couch. I don't have any doubts about that. He loves food, but he'll go for the easier meal every time. He may not be lazy by people standards, but he's pretty lazy by GSD standards. I don't know why he barked at her. It wasn't his high pitched, excited bark, but it didn't sound too aggressive either.

The federal law just says a service dog is an individually trained dog that performs tasks to assist a person with a disability and must be given access to every location the handler has access to, and that the person has to have a disability that is "substantially limiting," but the definition of substantial is fairly broad and vague. It was that last part that I got confused on. I didn't know if I was "disabled enough" but I honestly don't think there really isn't much of a line. If there's a task you can train a dog to do to help your disability, then you can probably have a service dog. But then it gets confusing because the organizations selling service dogs are much pickier about who qualifies because there's just not enough dogs to help every person. I had to focus more on the actual law and less on the individual organizations to understand if I qualified to have a service dog. A little fur doesn't bother me either, but I guess it could be gross if a dog was just rolling around in a muddy puddle.

I hope so.

 

[Animal Freak]

Some snow pictures.

This one was from Si's first "official" snow.

And these are from the more recent snow.

I have to get videos uploaded and then I'll share them too.

 

[calicosrspecial]

OH MY GOODNESS!!! How ADORABEL is he?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Hmmmm, videos. YES!!!!

It is good you realize you don't need to stress as much as you do. So if you focus on it I think you can improve on it and stress less. It is good you stress for "only" a few minutes. Almost like a panic attack maybe? Yes, that can be enough to cause us issues. I understand. BUT I think you can improve it in time. In fact, I know you can.

Agreed, it will be really cool. You might be doing it for others in the future, who knows?

Hehehe, I guess. It is good you have a good attitude about winter. It does seem pretty for Christmas. Yes, I would assume seeing a dog having fun helps a lot to enjoy it. It is really cute. Oh wow, this time the snow was high. I can see why Stella was a little different as the snow was higher.

Oh yes, puppy energy. Yes, the inability to control. Youth. Interesting he is lazy on GSD standards. Do you think he is smarter than the generic GS? They do bark. I am guessing a greeting, like a normal greeting. That is common. Mine do that all the time.

Yes, legalese. :/ Yes, sadly there aren't enough service dogs so prioritizing is really important and has to be done. Sadly, a lot of people go without. :/ Yes, but sometimes a muddy puddle isn't so bad.

You will. You are way too smart, way too self aware, etc not to. I am confident you will. Not overnight but in time if you put your mind to it.

Oh my I LOVE Osiris!!! He is SO ADORABLY HANDSOME!!!!

 

[Animal Freak]

Really freaking adorable. It's a good thing too. He's been obnoxious this morning and yesterday morning. Not sure what's going on with him.

I wouldn't even go as far as saying it's a panic attack. More just a sense of being completely and utterly overwhelmed. Sort of like when you have a giant mess to clean and don't even know where to start, but worse because it's school, I have deadlines, and get graded on my work. Once I take that first step and get the first thing figured out, it gets a lot better. Most of the time. Sometimes it just does feel like a lot.

It is good since I plan on moving to where winter lasts longer. I think if I stayed in the house and didn't do anything just because it was cold and snowy then I wouldn't enjoy it, but it's fun when I make myself get out and be active. And Osiris doesn't let me stay inside all day. Doesn't take much for the snow to come up on Stella's legs. She's a pretty little dog. It was definitely a lot for her though.

I'm not sure about being smarter. He doesn't give me a good idea of just how intelligent he is, honestly. I know he's smart, but he seems to have a hard time retaining information. Like, we can do something over and over again, but never make any real progress. I've been working on getting him to hold a small rope for probably over a month. He would always drop it right away or chew on it and/or toss it around in his mouth whereas I just wanted him to hold it nicely. Just this past week he finally started being able to consistently hold it nicely and he still drops it sometimes. It's really something that shouldn't have taken more than a week to train, maybe two weeks to master completely. I think he's smarter than he appears to be though. He sure figured out the puzzles fast.

Indeed. I do think there should be more organizations working with rescues to see which would be good service dogs. It really is an awesome life for a dog. They get to be with their person all the time, go to new places, and get extensive training. Plus it's easier to evaluate an adult dog than a puppy. Then we could get more dogs out of shelters too.

Lol. "Adorably handsome" sounds about right.