Alrighty… she’s responding very well to the antibiotics and prednisone. She has one day left on the antibiotics and a couple more weeks on the prednisone. The gel will be ongoing til all this is cleared up. The spots on her back, belly, and right under “arm” have healed nicely. The spot on her left shoulder is healing. She’s running, greeting with wagging tail, tried to chew on pant legs and shoestrings, barking, and has beyond conquered the steps (though she’s still hesitant going down the steps from the back door, but I am too for that matter – they’re uneven).
There is a possible new spot we’re watching. After she started the antibiotics, her skin was really flaky. I don’t know if that’s a side effect or what, but that’s when it started. On her left shoulder there’s a particularly dry looking patch and her fur is thinning around it. And bless her heart, she’s itchy practically all over! Thankfully, she has discovered the joys of rolling around in the grass. I’ll be taking her back to the vet’s on Friday.
Oh, one funny. It was recommended to us to use a squirt bottle in her training (say no, then squirt). Well, after a couple times, it looked to me as if she was kind of enjoying it. Then I learned that with labs, water might not work. Turns out they tend to LOVE the stuff. My next thought was pondering getting one of those sprinklers that goes back and forth and how she’d probably have a field day with it. 🙂 Anyway, the training begins… wish us luck!
Ivy loves the baby pool. She will run and leap into it and then just as quickly as she got in she’ll get out and run around the yard…. only to run through the pool again. It’s actually quite funny.
Our skipper is afraid of water. She is also afraid of balls.
Come to think of it, she is afraid of just about everything including her own shadow. Wait, no, she’s not afraid of people food.
My lab would have swum across the Long Island sound if we had let her. She loved water.
You know what worked for her? Cotton ball soaked in vinegar. When she did something bad, insert cotton ball in mouth…she learned real quick. And yes, the vet told us that was ok to do.
A good “no!” in mommy or daddy voice works well too. If the offense is an oral offense a smack on the nose works or gently holding the muzzle closed when you say “no-whatever” the offense was….for instance holding the muzzle closed and saying “NO BITING” in mom or dad voice. That works too.
It’s the lower register voice that get the attention think of it sounding like growling. You are the alpha dogs, and you have to remain taht way or they get unruly.