Unplanned dog fostering. Advices needed!

awanderer

A very good friend of mine has been hospitalised. His dog being alone at home of course I offered to take care of him which means that the dog would be living at my home until my friend is able to leave hospital.
My friend's dog is a 55 kg (at least) cuddle monster. I fostered him as a puppy and 3 years later he is still a (huge) puppy.
My dog is a 34 kg lovely (and perfect) labrador who loves my friend's dog but has been known to "ram" dogs I paid too much attention to and has never had to share his house overnight (he has stayed overnight with other dogs in other houses without problem).
I would be alone with the 2 dogs day and night. I do not own a crate and both dogs would sleep indoor.
Any advice for things to go smoothly would be more than welcome.

DBB

Ah good on you op... A friend in need is a friend indeed!
It's great that they already know each other, it should soften the impact on both dogs. I'd be inclined to enforce a "go to your own bed" rule for a few days, so that one dog is in the bed whilst the other is interacting with you. Of course, they may be perfectly happy sharing you, if not immediately then within a day or two, in which case you can relax that rule.
What's your night time routine... Does your dog sleep in your room or elsewhere in the house? If the latter, is there anyone you can borrow even a baby gate from, just to make sure there's no trouble? Whereabouts are you based, maybe some kind soul here can offer a lend of one... You never know!

awanderer

So glad you replied ! Was on the phone and received confirmation that my friend's dog will be delivered first thing in the morning.
My dog sleeps in the living room while I sleep upstairs. There is also a bedroom downstairs so I can move there if needed. We bought a new bed for my dog last week and put his old bed in the dining room. He uses it sometimes during the day. Maybe that could be my friends dog sleeping quarter?
Usually I bring my dog for a last walk late in the evening, when he comes back I scatter dog nuts all around the ground floor and when he has found them all, he relaxes and is ready for the night. I guess I'll have to stop that for a while.
My dog is a stomach on leg and the other dog is on steroid and obese so that might be tricky too.
Both are loving dogs but mine is clearly more bossy and should there be trouble, I suspect it would come from him.

awanderer

I tried to think of someone with a baby gate but couldn't. I live in the countryside about 40 min from Galway.
Just to clarify, my friend's 55 +kg dog is not a powerful bundle of muscles (thank god) . He is just a huge golden retriever that could easily be bullied by my smaller but much more powerful lab.

DBB

If you're stuck, I think just sleeping them in separate rooms, at least for the first few nights, will work out fine.
Walks are a great way to bond dogs, and control mutual access to things like food, chews etc... If the Retriever is on steroids he'll be feeling hungry and might dive at food without heeding your Lab's "bugger off" signs
At the same time, I'd be slow to change your fella's pre-bedtime routine unless you really have to, do maybe your guest can go into another room whilst you scatter food, or if you've anyone to help you, maybe bring Retriever out for a quick garden-root or amble?

awanderer

Thanks DBB . No there won't be another person to help me with the dogs for at least a week.
Speaking about walks. My dog is easily led by his emotions so always on the lead when on (or close to) the road or when I see unknown humans/dogs. He sometimes gets so excited, I have to grab him by the collar to keep control of him. It was never a problem as we live by the sea/countryside so I guess we let him get away with more than we should.
With the 2 dogs (who are much heavier than me) and no special collar and me being on my own, I can think of only one walk where they could be off the lead and there would be no danger for them or cattle if they escaped my control for any length of time (luckily I live on a peninsula). Unfortunately that walk can really only be done at low tide. Is it ok to bring them to that place again and again until I feel confident or should I just trust the dogs to not drag me around when on the lead?
+ Unfortunately, my garden fence broke during the last storm and won't be repaired until at least the end of the month. So at the moment I wouldn't leave a dog alone in my garden. My dog would walk/run/swim forever without being tired. The other dog, despite being younger, suffers from fungus on his paws, a bit of arthritis, a mild heart murmure and secondary effects from steroids. He is also affraid of waves so doesn't really swim. Should I reduce my dog's exercise to accomodate my friend's dog or should I consider putting my friend's dog in the car a few minutes earlier for example, while I throw the ball for my dog to fetch?
I do not expect any reply tonight but I am so slow at typing on my tablet and have so many questions, I decided to type my questions as they came to my mind .

awanderer

Another question. Should I take the risk of feeding the dogs together or should I for example put one bowl outside for my friend's dog while I feed my dog in the utility room?

DBB

Very quick reply to address the immediacy of it... Don't feed them together! Keep a door between them... It's not worth taking that risk especially as the Retriever is only a temporary guest.
Also, I've two dogs of very different physical ability... I let the old one potter and root whilst the young one plays fetch, swims, paddles etc. You don't have to cover a huge distance to give an active ball-chasing dog plenty of exercise!
Also... I'd stay in the safe open place... Why not? If you were adopting the Retriever I'd suggest pushing the boat out a bit, but as he's a temporary guess I'd be inclined to make life as easy for myself, and the dogs, as possible

awanderer

Thank you so much!

If there are any other advices you, or any experienced fosterer, can think of, please don't hesitate to keep them coming. Do not be afraid of stating the obvious, I won't be offended. I am a dog lover but not the most confident one.

The dog I am going to foster is a bit special to me as I went to various dog shows and contacted various breeders by internet when my friend decided he was ready to get another dog. Unfortunately, the dog turned out to be very far from perfect healthwise .

I believe I wrote about that dog in previous posts/threads.

VonVix

Now that's the kind of friend I would love to have and would hope to be in their time of need.

Yeah, definitely feed separately. It can add stress to a dog during mealtimes if they are eating near another dog. For example my 2 little guys eat together no problem, no stress, but I introduced a third dog into my home, a much larger, clumsier dog.

He was mistakenly brought downstairs just as my little lads were tucking in to their breakfast, they sped up x10 when they realised he was near. He had no interest in going near their food, but my little guys got the urge to gobble it up.

awanderer

The dog was delivered 3 hours ago. Up to now things have gone better than expected. My guy has been the perfect host. He has been sharing his toys, I fed them both(in separate rooms) without problem and when my friend's dog refused to go in the back of the car with him (probably because it is tiny) my dog jumped into the boot!
Some unforeseen problems though: my friend told me that his dog must have his feet washed after every walk! I managed to do the front paws without problem but he won't let me move his back paws. Any tip ? He doesn't fit in the shower.

+ Usually, I give a frozen Kong to my dog in the afternoon. Should I give one to both dogs today or just skip it?

+ I must give some Atopica and Prednidale to the dog. I do know how much but is there anything else I should know about those medicines?

I do not want to ask those questions to my friend as he is in hospital for a mild stroke and very high blood pressure. Surely worries would do him no good, so I want him to think that everything is under control.

DBB

For the foot wash, I'd pour water over his back feet. Or, get a shallow bowl with water and plonk each foot in one at a time
Is he on preds (a steroid) and atopica both on the same day? That sounds most unusual. It's only recently that vets got the go-ahead to use the two meds concurrently, but when given this way it's usually preds one day, atopica the next, preds the next etc.
Both are immunosupressants, their job is to stop the dog's immune system from attacking his own skin... I'm assuming he has an autoimmune dermatitis or something along those lines.... I wonder what food he's on?
Atopica often makes them vomit shortly after administration in the first few weeks, but that settles down and I assume the Retriever has been on it long enough to be past this stage.
Preds makes them hungry and thirsty, and can lead to accidents with peeing around the house. They also cause weight gain due to that increased appetite. Humans on long-term steroids report a lot of core-muscle weakness, and generally feeling weak and tired.

awanderer

Yes he must take the 2 medicines everyday. One pill of one 1/2 of the other. He has been on steroid forever. Everytime they reduce it, his paw problem come back. I spoke about it to my friend recently as it worried me (surely it can't be good to take steroid and be obese with a heart murmure). It is a bit of a touchy subject though as my friend treats that dog as if it were his child, spends a fortune on vet bills and regularly drives 1hour and a half so that his dog can be seen by a well known clinic in Galway.

DBB

Any idea what condition he's been diagnosed with?
What food is he on?
Poor dog. Long-term steroid use will likely shorten his life. But what can you do? He can't be left untreated either.

awanderer

DBB wrote: »

Any idea what condition he's been diagnosed with?
What food is he on?
Poor dog. Long-term steroid use will likely shorten his life. But what can you do? He can't be left untreated either.

I do not know the name of the condition. My friend only described it as a funghus that is not contagious to other dogs. My friend is dyslexic so he can not access any info by internet that is the reason I walked on eggs when speaking about the condition. I wanted to be sure that my friend doesn't follow blindly any advice given by his vet but didn't want to break his heart even more. He did so much research to get the best possible chance of having a perfect healthy dog and ended up with a lovable but very unhealthy dog.

awanderer

As for the food, the vet made him buy Hills Science diet last month or so ! Today the dog was delivered to me with Pedigree fod in a bag and tins but I suspect and hope he doesn't usually eat that. I don't think my friend knows how to recognise good food though. I believe he thinks that if it is expensive, it is the best. I tried to tell him how important a good diet is but am nt sure I got through to him.

Would it be ok if I put his dog on Skinner salmon instead of Pedigre? The dog is not fussy. It seems that recently he has developped a taste for turf!

DBB

If it's a fungus, and he'd do very well to have this confirmed via skin scrapes/biopsy, then the dog needs medicated foot baths... Were you given a medicated shampoo for this?
The feet would also need to be thoroughly dried after getting wet... Damp feet are a big favourite of fungi and bacteria!
He'd also categorically need to be taken off all cereals.
I'd also without any doubt buy him boots for all 4 feet, in case there's a contact allergy going on.
I wonder has he got furunculosis, or "concrete feet" as my vet calls it! This is a deep-rooted bacterial infection of the hair follicles, caused to a large degree by the feet constantly impacting on rock-hard ground. Seriously painful, you'll see pus-filled cracks between the pads, and the skin red and inflamed. This needs long-term antibiotic treatment.
Just throwing some stuff out there! I'd be very, very tempted to bring him to a skin specialist... Maybe he is already and I'm just talking out my hat?!

Tranceypoo

awanderer wrote:

I tried to think of someone with a baby gate but couldn't. I live in the countryside about 40 min from Galway. Just to clarify, my friend's 55 +kg dog is not a powerful bundle of muscles (thank god) . He is just a huge golden retriever that could easily be bullied by my smaller but much more powerful lab.

Depending on which side of Galway you are, I have a crate in my shed you are more than welcome to borrow indefinitely, I'm in East Galway, nearish to Athenry

kathleen37

What a beautiful boy! You are good - I bet your friend is comforted by how well you're looking after him.

Only advice I can give is about feeding them separately, especially as he's only a temporary guest. Seems like the other guys here are giving excellent advice on the more detailed stuff.

I wonder how you would get on if you phoned the Galway vet? Explain the situation about his owner being in hospital and you're happy to help out, but you want to make sure you're doing all you can for the pup, so that his well being will hopefully help in the owner's well being and recovery.

I hope they would give you as much info as you need?

Good luck - you're already doing a great job!

awanderer

Sorry, I tried to reply earlier but always got an error message when I pressed "send" so took advantage of a visitor to bring the dogs for a stroll on the beach (the visitor was allowed to stay warm and dry in the car as long as he was ready to intervene should any dog attempt to escape my control )

DBB: I found some Malaseb shampoo amidst the things that came with the dog. Would that be for his feet?
W[hen you say no cereals do you mean not even rice? As for keeping his feet dry, I'll do my best but it is rainy and I live on the west coast so dry doesn't happen often.
About bringing the dog to a skin specialist, I'll certainly do that if my partner, who is away, comes back before my friend comes out of hospital. I am not sure I am ready to try a long drive with the two dogs inside my tiny car yet.
Tranceypoo: thanks a lot for the offer. Unfortunately, I checked on the distance calculator and it states 40 min drive from here to Athenry, with all the extra detours due to flooding that would probably be more like one hour. At the moment the dogs are lying down close to each other, I hope they'll continue to get along and I will be able to deal with them without crate or gate.
Kathleen: he is beautiful indeed. He looks more like a big albino newfie than like a retriever though the poor thing. He is so big. I just called the vet but they won't give any info on the phone or without the owner's authorisation. With my voice and my French accent I couldn't pretend to be my friend
I believe this photo give a better idea of the size of the dog:

DBB

awanderer wrote: »

DBB: I found some Malaseb shampoo amidst the things that came with the dog. Would that be for his feet?

Yes!

W[hen you say no cereals do you mean not even rice? As for keeping his feet dry, I'll do my best but it is rainy and I live on the west coast so dry doesn't happen often.

Although rice is a benign cereal, with any dog that's showing skin issues, you've got to eliminate everything that's known to cause problems, and rice can cause allergic reaction in some dogs... potatoes are a far better source of carbs for allergic dogs.
Similarly, chicken and beef are the most likely meat proteins to spark off allergies, so if you can at all, feed him novel proteins such as turkey, oily fish, or if you're willing to really go to trouble, get yourself some Rocco tinned food from www.zooplus.ie, make sure it's one of the meat and veg only varieties, and opt for any flavour that doesn't contain chicken or beef.
If he improves, then in 6 weeks (if you still have him!) you can try to introduce chicken and see what happens. If no response, he's okay with chicken. Ditto for beef. Indeed, ditto for rice.
I hear ya about trying to keep the feet dry , but it's one of the reasons I suggested getting boots for him!

About bringing the dog to a skin specialist, I'll certainly do that if my partner, who is away, comes back before my friend comes out of hospital. I am not sure I am ready to try a long drive with the two dogs inside my tiny car yet.

There might be a skin specialist reasonably close to hoime (as opposed to having to go to UCD)... I'm assuming you're out in Connemara. I'll see if I can find anyone closer to you, but maybe someone else here from the west can suggest someone?
Itchy feet is very often related, at least to some degree, to a food issue, though it'd be nice to get this fella diagnosed once and for all!

aonb

another "pat on the back" OP for being such a good friend, and obviously a dog lover to take special care of your "guest"
It sounds like your dog and the "guest" are getting on ok? I hope that continues - being lab/retriever they are usually pretty laid back and sociable breeds.
If you do want to change the guest dog to another food, remember to do it gradually/slowly - although if he usually eats Hills and you have been delivered Pedigree (NOT good quality) you have nothing to eat putting him on the salmon
You could look in some local charity shops for a baby-gate - I help in our rescue charity shop, and we often get such things in - since you seem to live in a remote area, you could phone around to see if anyone has one - of course of the dogs are settling, you wont need one hopefully
If you put a biggish basin/container of water at the back door, you could 'teach' the 'guest' dog to walk in it paw by paw - make it a game! - to rinse off his paws? Then when you are rubbing him down inside, make a game of lifting his paws to give them a quick dry with a well bunched up old towel - again make a game of it - silly voice, or a single piece of his kibble (from his ration) per paw dried? (I had a dog who hated having his paws dried, and I was reduced to this silliness! - worked though!)

Again, very well done to you for taking this poor boy in while his human is unwell, and I hope he (the human) recovers quickly too

DBB

awanderer wrote: »

As for the food, the vet made him buy Hills Science diet last month or so ! Today the dog was delivered to me with Pedigree fod in a bag and tins but I suspect and hope he doesn't usually eat that. I don't think my friend knows how to recognise good food though. I believe he thinks that if it is expensive, it is the best. I tried to tell him how important a good diet is but am nt sure I got through to him.

Would it be ok if I put his dog on Skinner salmon instead of Pedigre? The dog is not fussy. It seems that recently he has developped a taste for turf!

I missed this post earlier!
If you're going to try to tackle this whilst you have the dog, then he's got to come off dry food altogether. THis is because his skin problem may be caused by an allergy to (a) an ingredient in the food (and Pedigree is rubbish, but Hill's isn't much better), or (b) the storage mites that live in the dry food. All dry food, regardless of how expensive it was.
So, that'll mean no Skinners either.
If you can at all, get him onto that Rocco tinned food (no cereals, no beef or chicken), supplemented with sardines from Lidl/Aldi, mashed spuds (without salt or butter), mashed veg. It's a bit of an undertaking, but having dealt with many, many itchy, sore dogs, the dry food MUST go for at least 6 weeks, to see if it is contributing.

awanderer

Thank you for all the encouraging words. At the end of the day, I am quite glad the big guy has come to stay with us, the poor guy had spent 2 nights and almost 2 days home alone apart from a friend bringing him for a walk in the evening as none thought of informing me seing I haven't lived in or near the village for 3 1/2 years.He is such a good, friendly dog it must have been hard for him. I have also learnt that Ross, my dog, can be a great host which I would not have trusted him to be: everyone of his toys has been borrowed by his clumsy friend and he has remained very friendly and tolerant. He hasn't shown any sign of annoyance yet. I hope it will last.
I still don't know if our guest is here for a couple of days or for weeks (the doctors will decide after seing the result of all needed tests) but until I know more, I will pretend it is a long term thing and create a routine accordingly. The timing is so ideale as I don't have to work outside home until the end of March/ beginning of April
I learnt that the dog seems to have been fed quite a weird diet (the person who delivered the dog called to tell mehe had forgotten to tell me to put milk in the dog's kibbles so he would eat them. I had put half a glass of water a a spoonful of tinned food (as I supposed it had to be used since it was part of the things that arrived with the dog). I know my friend would never knowingly do anything that would harm his dog. I also know, you wouldn't find anyone that loves animals more (not a cat in his village is starving and he helps the TNR scheme, not a dog would be abandonned without him knowing it and caring for that dog until a long term solutionhas been found) but I believe he doesn't know much about what kind of food is good for dogs. I'll try to thing of a way of persuading him to change his dog's diet without offending him (he is so proud of his connection with/ knowledge of dogs that it is a tricky subject).
Meanwhile I'll do my best to help our loveable, clumsy, messy guest feel as good as he can.

awanderer

DBB wrote: »

I missed this post earlier!
If you're going to try to tackle this whilst you have the dog, then he's got to come off dry food altogether. THis is because his skin problem may be caused by an allergy to (a) an ingredient in the food (and Pedigree is rubbish, but Hill's isn't much better), or (b) the storage mites that live in the dry food. All dry food, regardless of how expensive it was.
So, that'll mean no Skinners either.
If you can at all, get him onto that Rocco tinned food (no cereals, no beef or chicken), supplemented with sardines from Lidl/Aldi, mashed spuds (without salt or butter), mashed veg. It's a bit of an undertaking, but having dealt with many, many itchy, sore dogs, the dry food MUST go for at least 6 weeks, to see if it is contributing.

I didn't know about dry food being bad! I'll try to get a friend to get to lidl/aldi as soon as possible.
and Aonb, I'll try your method re cleaning the paws from tomorrow morning. The dog gives his front paws without much resistance yet I can see his paw instinctively moving away a tiny bit when water touches them (hope I make sense) so they must be a bit sore.

hardCopy

Just a suggestion, we don't have a baby gate but use a folded up clothes horse across our stairs to keep our dog downstairs. He could move it if he wanted to but it's metal and makes so much noise when it falls that he gives it a wide berth.

awanderer

hardCopy wrote: »

Just a suggestion, we don't have a baby gate but use a folded up clothes horse across our stairs to keep our dog downstairs. He could move it if he wanted to but it's metal and makes so much noise when it falls that he gives it a wide berth.

Thanks! It seems however that my guy has decided to be a better host that I ever hoped he could be. Not only has he let our guest use all his toys (including secret santa's rugby ball) but yesterday evening I decided to take a leap of faith. I put each dog in different rooms but left the doors of each room ajar so they could access the hallway and the bowls of water. 15 minutes later I heard the retriever going to the living room. I thought 'trouble'. I waited 5 minutes (trying to listen to every sound). Nothing was happening. So I came down the stairs and looked inside the room: both dogs lying side by side, looked at me as if to say : "what is your problem?" So I went up to my bedroom with the plan of studying an hour more after which I would coax the retriever back into the dinning room. I am not sure when I fell asleep but at 5 am I woke up with the lights on and the book still in my hand. I almost panicked until I realised everything was quiet. I came back down the stairs and so the 2 guys looking very comfy. So went back quietly and slept upstairs in my bedroom.
Strangely though. Today I put the 2 beds in the living room for the evening (with the plan of moving it back to the dining room and this is what happened (and no my lab is not dwarf, people generally comment on how big and powerful he is). So big in fact that he suddenly seems to have needed 2 beds for himself . He later decided to free one of the beds.

aonb

OP, you are so lucky Ross is happy to have a new friend to stay!
You know now that he is going to be sociable - or at least sociable with some dogs. Good for him to have the company and 'sharing' his toys/you with another dog.

How old is Ross?
(and why havent we seen a picture of him?!? The guest dog is VERY cute!) Whoops, just opened your last pic - your dog looks like a puppy beside the visitor!!! Both are beauties! Looks like you dont need a gate afterall!

You can get sardines cheaply "own-brand" from tesco and supervalu too, if Lidl/Aldi are too far.

I have a friend who KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING (!!) I was dogsitting her nutter. She forgot his food when dropping him off in an emergency, and I gave him my dogs food - home cooked and James Wellbeloved kibble. When she came back I told her how well hes been doing on the new food - he had put on some very badly needed weight - and his coat/poo were very good. She changed over to my dogs method after seeing how well her own dog was. Maybe you could do this when your friend comes out of hospital, and he will change to the better food??

awanderer

Aonb, be careful never to ask for pictures of Ross, people have been known to regret it after having been submitted to a 3 hour long diaporama! I happen to think that Ross is the nicest smartest and most beautiful dog alive : D. I had posted a few photos of him in the Secret Santa thread and another on the sticky thread. But you just remind me I have forgotten to post a photo with the last gift he got from secret Santa so I'll post it here .
We adopted Ross in the summer of 2013 and he was described as being 2 year old so he must be about 4 1/2.

In fact, one of the first threads I started here, if I remember correctly, was about Ross being aggressive towards Frodo (our guest). I now wonder if he didn't simply feel a bit threatened as in a few weeks, he had lost his first human, been sent to the shelter, been taken by a family who thought he was too needy, been sent back to the shelter and then adopted by us. Ross loves humans and attention so the shelter must have been a nightmare for him.

I still don't know how long Frodo will stay with us. I spoke to my friend on the phone and he is doing great (his speech is back to normal) but he was only told not to expect to be home for a week and that they can't say more until they find out why he had that stroke and another episode he had ignored the week before. I also learnt that the pedigre bag I got with the dog is not the food he normally eats but a bag bought by the person who delivered the dog. Frodo had just finished his bag of Hill science diet food and my friend was going to buy another bag but meanwhile he was giving him " rice with some tin food or meat and some sauce from the dinner ". The way I see it, any chance for a slow transition to healthy food is lost so I better start immediately on the healthy diet (as recommended here). If my friend stays in hospital much more than a week, I'll also bring the dog to a vet specialised in skin problems to check that he really needs those strong medicines but if he is back in a week, I'll just try too persuade my friend to do so (so as not to offend him). But your tactic (make the dog as heathy as possible and then hope that that will speak for itself) is more or less my plan

awanderer

By the way, today, during a walk (I know, the dogs seem to be lying down or sleeping on every picture I post, but they walked/swam/ran after balls for well over 2 hours today), we met a woman who ran towards Frodo shouting "a Pyrenean Mountain Dog! My favourite breed!" . Who would have thought that an overweight Golden Retriever ends up looking like a Pyrenean!

aonb

hah! I thought he looked like a Pyrenean too when I saw him - the wrong colour, but that 'curly' effect on his coat!!
Ross looks like a smasher - that kind of old style labrador - chunky, wide head - and he still has a puppy look about him

awanderer

aonb wrote: »

hah! I thought he looked like a Pyrenean too when I saw him - the wrong colour, but that 'curly' effect on his coat!!
Ross looks like a smasher - that kind of old style labrador - chunky, wide head - and he still has a puppy look about him

Ross is simply the best . He has the looks (he does have a stocky built and a wide head which goes all wrinkly when he concentrates), the brains and now the social skills.

Frodo certainly has the looks too and I must say that he is more immediatly stricking but I suspect he wouldn't get a Mensa card just now (which is handy as I can still play "find the kibbles" with Ross: as long as kibbles come out of my hand, Frodo looks at my hand while Ross looks for the kibbles) . On the other hand he is like a huge hairy heart and impossible not to love (even when he tries to climb on my lap, while all wet, for a tender moment).

I am quite glad that Ross is my guy though. I had never realised how low maintenance he was before. For example: no matter where we go, as soon as we arrive home, Ross likes to make sure that he is pristine. He never looks like he needs a shower. Frodo on the other hand is a disaster. He is always thirsty so tries to drink from every puddle he sees. The problem is that, probably because his weight puts too much pressure on his front legs, he like drinking while lying down. That means lying down at best in the puddle, more often in the mud near the puddle, he also likes collecting everything with his hair (pieces of wood, and other collectibles) .

awanderer

Just two more questions:

I started Frodo on his new diet. Am I right in thinking that I should feed him according to the calories needed by a Golden retriever at the high end normal weight (34 kg) even if he is so much heavier (my friend said that he passed 60 kg)? Or is that too harsh?

How do you wash a dog that size? (Ross is self cleaning so I never had to think of that). I do not have an outside tap, I am unable to carry him in or out of the bathtub and he cannot fit in the shower. I though about bassins of warm water but I can't imagine him waiting quietly and not rolling into anything between bassins?

awanderer

It looks like Frodo will be with us longer than I had hoped. His favourite human isn't getting better at all .

Dubl07

awanderer wrote: »

How do you wash a dog that size? (Ross is self cleaning so I never had to think of that). I do not have an outside tap, I am unable to carry him in or out of the bathtub and he cannot fit in the shower. I though about bassins of warm water but I can't imagine him waiting quietly and not rolling into anything between bassins?

Does your bath have moulded sides or add-ons which might trap a paw/limb? If the latter, I've no idea but if the former, he may be able to jump in, given incentive. We have chrome handles halfway down the bath. They are a curse in terms of cleaning and potential hazard for my dog but my friend has a much older bath which is perfect for bathing both people and pups. I bathed my last dog for over ten years in our current setup but now I'll happily pay for help.

And ... you should feed your dog according to the weight it should be BUT please consider that Frodo may not be quite as advertised by his breeder in terms of genealogy. Remember the rib and spine 'feel' tests. The beauty of an intelligent, involved owner is that you can adjust on a short-term basis to get the results that are best for the dog you're caring for.

Cherry Blossom

We used to wash our old lab outside with a garden hose put in through the kitchen window and connected to the mixer tap in the kitchen sink. This way he could have a warm wash. It did take a bit of sourcing to find the right attachment for the tap though.

awanderer

Dubl07 wrote: »

Does your bath have moulded sides or add-ons which might trap a paw/limb? If the latter, I've no idea but if the former, he may be able to jump in, given incentive. We have chrome handles halfway down the bath. They are a curse in terms of cleaning and potential hazard for my dog but my friend has a much older bath which is perfect for bathing both people and pups. I bathed my last dog for over ten years in our current setup but now I'll happily pay for help.

And ... you should feed your dog according to the weight it should be BUT please consider that Frodo may not be quite as advertised by his breeder in terms of genealogy. Remember the rib and spine 'feel' tests. The beauty of an intelligent, involved owner is that you can adjust on a short-term basis to get the results that are best for the dog you're caring for.

The bath does have the chrome handles but anyway, between Frodo's weight and his paw problems, I can't imagine taking the risk of making him jump into the bath tub unless I have an assistant in case things go wrong.

Frodo definitely comes from a reputable breeder. I must admit I can't remember the name but I remember feeling glad when my friend told me the name of that breeder as he/she had been recommended by several breeders met on dog shows and the breeder's club. I also remember my friend being offended that the breeder had interrogated him as if he thought he wasn't good enough. I spent week ends going to shows with my friend when he first decided to get the dog and did lots of research for him. Unfortunately, I then had to work weekends and long hours so I didn't visit the breeder or go with my friend to collect the dog, I haven't even seen the papers. I only remember my friend arriving to my house with the puppy one day. I moved one hour away from my friends house soon after and must say that in the past 2 years or so, my partner and I found it very sad seeing what was a beautiful healthy looking golden retriever morph into an almost disabled huge beast . Still beautiful though.

I believe we are quite a few months away from needing a spine and rib test but am really looking forward to the day where Frodo's waist is smaller than his ribcage. I hope that day will come anyway. Frodo is such a loveable boy.

awanderer

Just a little update.

Frodo is still with us but my friend hopes to be allowed home tomorrow or Tuesday.

I went to a pet shop last thursday and took the opportunity to have Frodo weighed. He is now 55 kg ; according to his prescription, he was 57.5 last time he was weighed. I thought that was great news but my friend seems a bit disappointed. I believe he thought his dog would be slim when he got him back!

I am not sure if I was able to reply to the PM informing of a vet specialised in dermatology that is not too far away (in fact in the city where my friend is hospitalised) . I very much appreciate that information. I had planned to bring the dog to that vet myself should my friend stay in hospital for more than a week but had to change my plans: my friend asks me for news of his dog almost daily so I couldn't tell him his dog was doing fine and then bring the dog to the vet behind his back. I spoke about that vet to my friend however and he is looking forward to bringing his dog there as soon as he leaves the hospital. Of course, he won't be allowed to drive for a while so guess who offered to go there with him .

Otherwise, fostering Frodo has mainly been a pleasure and has certainly taught me a lot. Not once has there be troubles between Frodo and my dog which is a huge surprise and makes me love my dog even more. For example, I might cuddle Frodo for 5 minutes and then go to cuddle Ross. Each time I try to cuddle Ross, Frodo gets excited and rushes to take part in the event so Ross is at best pushed out of the way, at worst crushed by Frodo falling over.

On the other hand, while the dogs do seem to like each other they do not play with each other. In fact, Frodo never plays with dogs, he seems to enjoy having them around but not understand what they are about . This morning though, when I mentioned his collar, Ross did his usual celebratory ritual (walking proudly in circles while tripping on the blanket he carries in his mouth), Frodo started running excitedly after him while trying to catch the blanket. It was the first time he seemed to realise that a dog could be a play pal. Who knows, maybe his stay here will have benefited him in that way .

Mainly, I wanted to thank anyone who answered this thread and gave me advices. While I knew that fostering Frodo was the right thing to do as a friend, I must admit that I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to deal with the 2 big dogs at the same time (I didn't sleep at all the night before Frodo arrived). In fact, not only was I able to do it (thanks to those advices) but weirdly by doing so I even made new friends in people that live nearby but only spoke to me because of the 2 dogs.

Dubl07

Thanks for the update. I was concerned for you and the dogs. I admire you enormously for helping your friend and for your continuing concern for Frodo. Everyone needs friends like you.

awanderer

Thanks a lot Dubl07 . I am not sure I deserve such praises though. Sometimes you meet people who are special in the fact that whatever else they are, deep down they are just really good people. Those people are a bit precious and worth going the extra mile for I think. That friend is one of those.