Dog thread .... join up and post about mans best friend here!

[Stickman]

Got a dog? Pics, info, breeding, food, training, or anything else you want to share about them goes in this thread.

Our youngest GSD is 3, she is all black, but has started to get a little tan on the rear of her legs by her paws. For people who love the GSD, it is really clear to us how much different the females are than the males. I have always read that the females focus more on people and the males focus more on property. I never personally understood that until we picked up our first female after always having males. They are quite unique, though very much GSD.

We keep our dogs lean, and feed them good food (I just blanked on the name but will update). We do NOT feed our dogs people food, but will on occasion throw in deer meat or raw egg mixed in with their food.

The dogs are trained, and while a lot of people may disagree, a crate is used for a long time, and a shock collar used as well. The prey drive is too high to not use a collar, never to torture, but to break their concentration on the recall command if they decline to listen. A dog that won't come when called is a liability, even if it is because the dog saw an animal to chase.

[SeriousStudent]

What a good girl!

I have a GSD rescue who is a wonderful dog. He was abandoned, but is my best buddy today.

No matter how crappy my day is, I'm always laughing after I get home and we start to play.

His rear hips are pretty bad now, and he's old. What have people done to help with older dogs with bad hips?

[VARIABLE9]

“Dog thread you say? Go on, I’m waiting...”


Not sure of her provenance, she’s a rescue that may be part ridgeback / pit mix.

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[Striker6]

C152A505-C2FB-40C5-9272-04577CC67F77.jpg
456CEF2F-8E37-47B5-879D-81624574AAA3.jpg
Just my bullmastif rescue.
He’s an overgrown baby, a complete mommas boy.

[Stickman]

What a good girl!

I have a GSD rescue who is a wonderful dog. He was abandoned, but is my best buddy today.

No matter how crappy my day is, I'm always laughing after I get home and we start to play.

His rear hips are pretty bad now, and he's old. What have people done to help with older dogs with bad hips?

I've been going through this for awhile. Talk with your vet, mine is awesome, and explain what is going on and that you want to develop a plan for your pup as he ages.

My older GSD is 13 years old, is a lean 100lbs, and is towards the end, here is his regiment. Take this in to your doc, none of these meds are overly expensive, which makes it an easy choice.

Carprofen- 75mg every 12 hrs. It provides day-to-day treatment for pain and inflammation from various kinds of joint pain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carprofen

Gabapentin- 300mg every 12hrs. It is recommended as one of a number of first line medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain. If the hips and back are super bad, he is probably at the point of nerve pain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin

Tramadol- 1-2 30mg tablets every 12hrs. Tramadol is a synethic opioid. Tramadol is used primarily to treat mild–severe pain, both acute and chronic. Tramadol is considered similar to morphine, and is probably not something you are going to be using all the time with your pup until he is near the end. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol

[SeriousStudent]

Thanks very much, Stick, I really appreciate the advice.

I have no idea how old he is. He was abandoned and left to die in a backyard after the homeowners were evicted. I found him and nursed him back to health. He's a big silly goofball, and incredibly loyal.

The OTC stuff we started with is not strong enough anymore, and this Rx regime should be very helpful.

Thanks again.

[Stickman]

Thanks very much, Stick, I really appreciate the advice.

I have no idea how old he is. He was abandoned and left to die in a backyard after the homeowners were evicted. I found him and nursed him back to health. He's a big silly goofball, and incredibly loyal.

The OTC stuff we started with is not strong enough anymore, and this Rx regime should be very helpful.

Thanks again.

You are very welcome. A GOOD dog is a serious part of the team, and it isn't easy as they get towards the end of their life. The Gabapentin and Carprofen should be pretty noticeable. The Tramadol was noticeable, but in general it has been a slow painful downward spiral. He is still happy and alert, though not the same as he used to be. Much of the time is spent on the leather couch now or on thick carpeting. Its hard for him to get up, and at times his hips give out.

Mrs Stick and I both agree that while he has a decent quality of life, he won't get put down. When the pain becomes a higher counter balance to his QOL, (on a regular basis) it will be time.

In talking with our vet, this is functionally, and realistically the last of what can be done. I don't have money to spend just for the sake of spending it, but the above has not only been low cost, but it has been highly effective. I told the vet I would like to see if we could get an extra 3 or 4 months with him, and we have happily exceeded that. The difference is large.

We did OTC, but having an actual pain management program made all the difference in the world. Please keep me posted!

[echo5whiskey]

What a good girl!

I have a GSD rescue who is a wonderful dog. He was abandoned, but is my best buddy today.

No matter how crappy my day is, I'm always laughing after I get home and we start to play.

His rear hips are pretty bad now, and he's old. What have people done to help with older dogs with bad hips?

If you don't mind my asking, what rescue did you go through? We have one too, and he loves my girls. He doesn't have a pedigree, but he's excessively smart, and an amazing watch/guard dog for the girls. I'll post pics in the morning when I get home.

[CoryCop25]

We lost Rommel very tragically last spring. The house still isn't the same without him. He was as gentile as he was vicious. I really miss him.

Untitled by Cory Fluck, on Flickr

Rommel 9/24/2011-4/20/2017

[SeriousStudent]

If you don't mind my asking, what rescue did you go through? We have one too, and he loves my girls. He doesn't have a pedigree, but he's excessively smart, and an amazing watch/guard dog for the girls. I'll post pics in the morning when I get home.

The rescue agency was me. I was walking my Black Lab years ago, and heard a barely audible whimper on the other side of a back yard fence. I thought it was a child who had been injured playing in the yard of an abandoned home. Instead it was my new best friend, Bubba.

He was down to 44 pounds, and had apparently survived on bugs, rodents and rainwater. The doctors at the vet hospital wanted to put him down, saying there was no way he would recover.

I took a week off from work, giving him IV fluids for three days. After four days he could stand, and after a week he could walk. That was about three and a half years ago.

He's back up to 92 pounds, and is inseparable. He's my best friend.



He either sleeps at the foot of my bed every night, or in doorway to the guest room when my granddaughter is in my home.

Like all of us, past injuries and medical history is catching up with him. He's not as spry as he used to be. But still inseparable.