[cooper1]

I’m sure he won’t be game for keeping his ears up! Might give it a try but one shake of his head and I’m sure they will be down again! He was on an oral medication – forgot the name and tossed the bottle. He is also on Mometamax topical. I’ll keep after them and hope they improve. It’s tough to find any training or other treats that don’t have any sort of oat/barleyfiber/flour in them. If you have recommendations let me know. He’s a big fan of having a consumable “milkbone” put into a kong and it takes him a bit to get them out. I’ve done it with the Life’s Abundance heartshaped treats but have to check out if there is any wheat in there as well.
Thx! 🙂

[cooper1]

Thank you both so much for the great information. As I mentioned before we did switch to the fish based diet and he is doing fine on that. My parents did end up taking him to the vet for me and he was put on antibiotics for the infection. I’m trying to keep up with keeping them clean and dry – and he is doing much better with the cleanings. In accepting help since my surgery, a friend did bring over milk bones for Cooper – so I will cut those out and see if that makes a difference. What about “pearled barley, oat flour, oat fiber”? Are those problematic as well? I have “training” treats that are small rewards that I have been using since it reads, “wheat and corn free” and are salmon meal based but are those other ingredients a problem for ears? His ears are still producing a black tar-like discharge but don’t smell and they are cleaning up a bit easier these days. I’m trying not to irritate them because there are some sores that have blood – probably from his nails when he scratches. They seem superficial and don’t have puss or anything nasty looking coming out of them. Coop hasn’t been swimming ever and the groomer I used is well aware of his ear issues so was cautious to keep them dry. I feel like putting a headband on him to keep them open and air those puppies out a bit! 🙂
Anyway, just wanted to ask that about those other ingredients and give an update. I have another issue I’m concerned about but since it’s on a different topic I’ll post on the right section rather than in here.
Recovery is going slowly but moving along. I’m supposed to be on crutches another 6 weeks or so. Hopefully after that I’ll be able to come back for some tune up classes! I can’t wait!
Thx again! 🙂
~A

[cooper1]

Hi Teresa!
So much time has passed and I’ve been meaning to get back with an update on Cooper! I did take your advice and switch him over to a fish based diet. It was gradual and on a side note – I have a bunch of Life’s Abundance left over that wasn’t touched – maybe you know where I can donate it – if a shelter or other might take it – unlabeled? He is fully on Natures Variety Salmon at this point. Not that I thought it was going to be a cure all but I have not seen an improvement in his ears. I believe that they are infected and need more help at this point as I hope the food will help in the long run but he has a big problem at this point. That leads me to my next issue – I just had major hip surgery and wondered if you, Mike or Chris might know of someone looking to helping me out with Cooper for a few weeks until I get back on my feet. Try as I might since I last went to training (I can’t believe it has been so long!), I have not done a great job of desensitizing him to getting his ears cleaned. Since it’s been so frequent as I’m trying to get them healthy again, he actually has started mouthing and is very difficult to manage during each cleaning so doing this while I can’t really bend at the hip now is nearly impossible since he can get away from me rather easily. Is there any chance you know someone (reasonably priced), who would know what they are doing with cleaning might be able to come by, clean his ears, walk him, brush him etc until I get back on my feet? I feel terrible that I can’t even drive him to the vet or take proper care of him while I’m out of commission. Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Thx and miss the crew! Looking forward to seeing everyone once I’m off crutches in a few months! ~A

[cooper1]

Hi Teresa,
Thx for all the advice – you always write things in a way that makes sense and give an action plan that is easy to put into place. I appreciate your time and effort! Do you have a suggestion for a vendor for the crate? I’m not finding a larger one on Craigslist, pennysaver or ebay. I’ve seen them on Amazon but not sure if that’s the best place to go for it.

Also, Mike mentioned that you would have the name of a very good vet in Brookfield. Would you mind passing along the name? Feel free to email me if you like. I’m still in the hunt for a vet that I’m comfortable with. Thx

[cooper1]

Thx Teresa! As always your advice is very much appreciated! I ended up waiting 7 days before taking him to a vet as he was still pretty badly limping. After a Lymes test, physical exam, x-ray and $$$$$!, it was determined that there was no evidence of trauma or any other issue causing the discomfort. I’m now calling Cooper the million dollar dog! 2 days after seeing the vet and giving an anti-inflammatory, there was little sign of a limp. He seems much better now! Thx again for your post and good information!
~Alison

[cooper1]

Thank you thank you for your comments! I know it was a lot in one post! 🙂 I appreciate the thought you put into it and will continue to do my research on vets and vaccinations. They did not do a cytology to test for yeast or bacteria when they gave the antibiotic for his ears. I guess that is what bothered me at that time. It’s like my own dr recommending antibiotics when I’m sick without testing for strep or other bacterial infection. I don’t like taking meds wo a reason so I wouldn’t want to treat my pup for something that isn’t confirmed that he has either. Cooper perked up the next day so maybe he was just sore like you mentioned. They gave the second rabies in the hip area so maybe that was it.
Thx again for your comments. I really appreciate you time! Looking fwd to seeing you at class soon! 🙂

[cooper1]

Thx so much! We’ll keep practicing. He seems to get it but I didn’t want to complicate commands with him since he is still young. We practice w Mike in class so I think that helps to generalize since we are using his platforms and beds there. We’ll keep at it! Thx for your help. ~Alison 🙂

[cooper1]

Can the climb command be practiced on the same bed that we practice the “bed” command or is that too confusing? Is it better to mix it up so Cooper eventually understands that climb is climb no matter where I’m asking him to do it? We have been practicing climb on a divider that came with my old Trailblazer but it’s kind of a pain to bring out. We are practicing “bed” on a firm orthopedic bed we have. Just wondering if they can be practiced on the same bed or if that will confuse the dog. Thx!