Yes. I know it is hard. For Dolly the biggest thing is laying in the sun. Desi is the little Inspector General and does his little rounds every day sniffing every plant, going down every little space between the house and block wall. He is easily entertained on his own. I did have a hard time with them when I started not being able to walk them, but they are over that now. They get excited when they see the stroller because they think that we are going somewhere because usually that is how we do when I am in so much pain.
Has Gigi stopped the smelling stuff? Poor little baby. And I know that Princess needs that exercise and I hope that she can go and run and play very soon – safely. Walking dogs anywhere that other dogs have been recently is so scary because you know you take care of yours, but you don’t know where the others have been and even if they have had any vaccines at all. It is all well and good for the dog parks to post the rules, but you know a lot of people just plain don’t care. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peggy & The Girls Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 11:44 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Canine Influenza The biggest difference is that you have a yard for them to run around in. So yours can and do get their exercise. I don't have that, being in an apartment complex. Princess is an Eskie and they need some freedom. She gets depressed in the winter, and hides and sleeps all day in the bedroom, unless I call her out and play tug. I try to get her excited and then we play ring around the dinning room table. She loves that, but I can only do that for a couple of minutes. Once the windows are open in the Spring, she is really busting. So we go for long walks, but she still wants to run, as Eskies love to do that, more so then chis. I probably will get her a shot. Maybe leave Gigi home and just take Princess to the park once the weather brakes. We will see... Peggy -------Original Message------- From: Joan Croft <mailto:[email protected]> Date: 1/28/2012 2:13:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Canine Influenza Gigi is so small, that perhaps your vet can just give her a tiny dose of the first shot. If she seems to do OK with that, the second shot the first season is a month afterwards. For that reason, I would maybe even have her wait a tiny bit longer for the second of the first year’s series. For the second year forward there is just one injection. It is too bad about not being able to take our dogs where we would like to. I took Dolly & Desi to three dog fairs in the last couple of years, but there are tons of dogs there and a lot of them have their heads higher than the top of the stroller. Sure…my dogs have the flu vaccine and the bordatella vaccine and all the other ones that they should have. But, if some big dog comes and sneezes or drools on something near Dolly & Desi, there probably is not much of a chance that they would not get sick. I can’t take Desi to Petco or PetSmart because he is the little yapper that wants everyone to know that he is there…unless he is trying to locate little Chiquitas in the store. I rarely take Dolly anywhere without Desi, and the only place that is lately is to the vet for her hernia surgery, stitches removal and now the bleeding eye infection. Well…guess I shouldn’t complain because I can’t really get out too often myself! From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peggy & The Girls Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 7:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Canine Influenza The canine flu (H3N8) actually came from horses and spread to greyhounds, in 2004, in FL. It's rare that a virus can jump from one species of animal to another, which is why it was so hard to detect in the beginning. It's not so much that the virus itself can cause death in a dog, but some dogs who's immune system has been compromised can get pneumonia and that is what usually kills them. The shot does not prevent the dog from getting the virus, but if the dog does come in contact with the virus, it isn't as servere, and they usually won't come down with pneumonia, but rather a servere consistent hacking cough that sounds more like Kennel Cough. Only a blood test can prove if it is the virus or KC. This is what I was told by my Vet, and I also read it some where. It spread from the southern states to the east north coast mainly from shelters and with the constant transferring of shelter dogs and rescues, it made it's way to the West. Last year, Petsmart here on LI who boards dogs, had an outbreak and had to close it's boarding facility. For that reason, I didn't take my girls to the petshops anymore and I even stopped using the dog parks. Believe me, I miss doing that, and Princess really misses the freedom of running free in an enclosed area, like the dog parks. I really wish there was some place safe that I could let her run and exercise free again, but there isn't. One of the drawbacks of renting and not having your own yard. With Gigi's health issues, I am afraid to give her any shots what so ever. She too liked the freedom of the dog park, but not as much as Princess needs it. :( Now I am thinking, what's the difference, when I walk them, they have their nose in everything and are constantly smelling where other dogs go anyway. Maybe when the Spring comes around, I will get them the shot and pray that Gigi doesn't have any side effects from it. -------Original Message------- From: Joan Croft <mailto:[email protected]> Date: 1/27/2012 4:14:39 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Canine Influenza Was How to Socialize Puppies Yes…and that is another reason that I can’t always take Desi with when the appt is about Dolly. I can hold both of them…for a little while. But then I go and sit down on the benches, and I don’t know what germs or bacteria are there when they are sitting on it. About three years ago, my vet’s office started posting that they had the canine influenza vaccine. I had a friend in Florida that had a Yorkie that got the flu and then had really bad COPD. She and her vet worked for four months to figure out what human meds could help, because there are not too many – if at all – for dogs. They were using Singulair, Albuterol, and a bunch of other things. Then one evening she was holding him and he passed away in her arms. So when I saw the notice for the vaccine, I was in there to get Dolly & Desi their shot. The receptionists said they probably don’t need it because there haven’t been any cases here…but I just wanted them to be protected…just in case. (I don’t think that the vet would have been very happy to hear the receptionist shooting down something that was posted for a reason.) A week later, a neighbor across the street told me that their friends had a poodle…she got the flu and she passed away while she had the flu. I was glad that I had got the vaccines for Dolly & Desi after hearing that. Yesterday when I was in there with Dolly, there was a notice posted that your dog must have the influenza vaccine (and the first one is done in two shots…the first one and then the second one a month later.) if you are leaving it to be boarded. I questioned one of the receptionists about that yesterday and she said that they have been having quite a few cases of the flu here. This is a military town (Nellis AF Base) and a lot of people are also moving from more expensive places to here. This all started on the east coast about three years ago and now it is starting to affect the dogs here in greater amounts of cases all the time. I know that some of you don’t want to give your dogs vaccines – and that is your call – but I just wanted to post this for all that would be interested. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ann Banks Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 10:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] How to socialize puppies That is why I never let Pedro and Chico on the floor at vets or any where public. Too many germs, but they really don't care to go. Ann sent from Ann's IPAD On Jan 27, 2012, at 1:50 AM, Joan Croft <[email protected]> wrote: Desi will go over and meet every dog and cat that are in the lobby of the animal hospital. Today Dolly was very enamored with a german shepherd…and then the owner told me that he had mange…oh…please no mange for Dolly. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Shelley Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 7:20 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chihuahuas] How to socialize puppies Hello, Gimili, my almost 3 month puppy has already learned how to be very brave when I am holding him and barking his head off and growling viciously at strange dogs. And I, his master, have learned that other dogs like to bite Chihuahuas and one bite could kill my 2 and a half pound baby. So I am holding this crazy, barking creature, trying to let him get to know other dogs and trust them, but they see this barking thing and think he's a bunny or something and want to bite him! Okay, I am exaggerating a bit. But he has already gotten bitten twice (not hurt), I am much more cautious now, but I still want to teach him that other dogs can be his friends. Do your Chihuahuas act like this? Gimli even growls and barks a lot to our dogs, but he wants to play and they just tolerate him and give him a warning growl when they get tired of him. Shelley
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