Lucy – ref 397 – 11yr old ShihTzu – HOMED

[Joey]

Hi,
I’ve never posted on here before, but thought I would chime on on this as it’s a very familiar story – Our dog Rosie (who we only recently lost) had this exact heart murmur condition – she just collapsed out of the blue (usually when she got over excited).
When we first brought her to the vet, he said there was a chance that if she collapsed again she might not get back up, but she actually proved him wrong and went on with it for quite a while (though if I had to guess, I’d say maybe whoever previously owned Lucy here may have witnessed her collapsing and that’s why she was given up in the first place… which is very sad to see…).
Anyways, whatever it was about these specific tablets, she seemed determined not to eat them. We tried every trick we could think of, but she always found a way to eat around the tablet… eventually my mum found the best solution was to cut up some sausages and push the pills inside so she couldn’t even see them – worked a treat!!
Hope that helps

[MARYMAC]

I have to agree with the quick method. Open the mouth and hold it closed for a minute, followed by a treat at least you know its gone down. No finding tiny bits you had wrapped in various bits of cheese or something yummy. Abby will not take tablets of any shape or size and spits out the tiniest of pieces . But now its all done in a minute and no harm done. As yet we have only had to worm scrappy and the same method applied. They are so clever when getting tablets and know well something is not right by the way we behave Im sure and then the offending piece of something all wrapped up.

In the end all happy healthy doggies.

[fredisbest]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I did try the "stuff it in and hold the mouth closed" approach ……. but it didn’t work. She is a stubborn lady and just stands there until I let go, at which point she spits it out and walks off It was only when Joey mentioned about the sausages that I remembered that was how I gave my last dog his heart meds. I had completely forgotten how easy it was with the sausages.

She really is one of the loveliest dogs you could meet. We are so lucky to have her. She is a dream foster – she just blended in seamlessly with us. Anyone who has met her has been smitten. Even the "non dog lovers" that we know are very impressed with her. She puts a smile on everyone’s face.

[lainey]

I had the same problem with Dinky taking her daily meds initially and found two solutions. One was to conceal the tablet in pate (she wouldn’t eat sausage if she suspected it was a "Trojan horse") which always worked . The second option was to simply stand behind her, open her mouth with one hand and pop the tablet right on the back of her tongue. I then immediately held her mouth closed and rubbed under her chin till she swallowed. Always worked a treat! Good luck .

[LuvMyFurKids]

Mary Velvet takes all her tablets with the exception of the capsule one so I put it in a tiny bit of peanut butter and it goes in one every time. Delighted she is doing so well

[blueindigo]

Hi Mary. Calmly but firmly….From behind on the right side place you hand around her mouth with your thumb on top and slip your first finger between her lips at the back of her mouth and then between her teeth on that side. Then with the other hand place the pill as far back in the mouth as possible on TOP of the back of her tongue. Your body blocks her if she reverses. Close mouth immediately and massage her throat with your right hand to illicit the swallow reflex. Wait until you are sure you have the full swallow. Be as patient as she is! Unless stated otherwise, I give tablets before meals so that the pills are associated with a happy event, even as far as having the dinner ready on the worktop. My dogs are always happy to take pills!!! Never had a failure yet! You just need to be more determined than the dog, knowing that is is so important. Best of luck. If you need a demo in person, I am happy to call in, if you’re within reach. You can pm me Fianna

[fredisbest]

Well I’m delighted to report that all meds were taken this evening, disguised in pieces of sausage. I can’t believe that I had gone through all this with my beautiful maltese, who died last year, and I had completely forgotten about hiding the meds in sausages. I’ll put it down to a "senior moment" . Anyway, thanks to everyone for all your tips but I reckon Lucy is very happy that I went along with Joey’s tip

[fredisbest]

We were taking Ollie to the Phoenix Park for his usual walk. Decided to take Lucy, fully expecting her to only be able for a short walk of maybe 20 mins or so. Well Lucy had other ideas. We left her off lead and she got a new lease of life. Not only did she walk for over a mile and a half, but she did so much running, I was afraid she’d collapse. It was a totally different dog to the one that collapsed last sat. week. The heart medication is certainly working. I’d swear she had a smile on her face she was so happy. We had no problem with her straying off as she kept us firmly in her sight. Anyone looking at her and Ollie would think they were the same age and had always been together. This little lady is incredible.
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[fredisbest]

Lucy is coming on in leaps and bounds. She had a touch of bronchitis this week but thanks to Mark in Terenure Veterinary Clinic, she is well on the road to recovery. She is such a happy little girl and her tail is always wagging. She loves her walks and is excellent on the lead. We had friends staying for the weekend and they were totally smitten with her. In fact they would gladly have adopted her but for the fact that they work full time and felt it wouldn’t be fair for her to be left on her own for 9 hours a day. She is such a beautiful dog in both her looks and personality. She is very calm, undemanding and is a total delight to have around.

[LuvMyFurKids]

Delighted she is doing so well, and the photos are just fantastic.

[fredisbest]

Lucy has been with us for three weeks now and everyday more and more of her personality comes out. Her heart medication has worked wonders and she is full of energy. When you see her walking you would never think she is 11 years old. We went to the Phoenix Park again today and she loves it. She loves the freedom of being off lead and is so good when she meets other dogs. Everyone that sees her remarks on what a beautiful looking dog she is.
At home she loves sleeping on the ground even though there are dog beds and sofas for her to go up on. She likes going in behind the sofa, under tables and anywhere that is quiet and out of the way. The only time she goes up on the sofa is at night when we are going to bed. She is not a snuggler which is just as well as Mr. Ollie would probably object to someone else snuggling his Mammy.
After reading the tragic news of the 3 dogs that recently died in the Pound due to illness, I thank God that Lucy only spent one night there. Life has something better in store for her, of that I am sure.
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[fredisbest]

Lucy was back at the vet today for her check up and I’m delighted to report that she is fighting fit. Her bronchitis is completely gone and her heart meds have been reduced to just one tablet twice a day. Greats results for a great little dog. By the way she is also great at "dish cleaning". I made Shepherd’s Pie for dinner and put the dish down to her with the leftovers. Not only did she demolish what was left but decided she needed to stand in the dish just to make sure she got it all.
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[fredisbest]

Just a quick update on the lovely Lucy. She is in terrific form and loving life. She has a great appetite and I reckon has put on weight since she came to us. She is friendly to everyone she meets and her tail is constantly wagging. She is very quiet in the house and likes her own space. She is no trouble at all, fully house trained and once she is walked and fed, she settles down and sleeps to her heart’s content. I hope she finds her forever home soon
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[fredisbest]

This morning I went to hang out washing and naturally Lucy and Ollie followed me out to the garden. Now I have a small enclosed garden with a wooden shed in the corner. Next to the shed is a flower bed with a lot of overgrown ivy towards the back of it. Lucy likes to go in there and at times she disappears among the ivy. I saw her towards the back of the shed and thought no more of it. When I finished I looked to see where she was but there was no sign of her. I went over and looked at the small gap between the back of the shed and fence but nothing. She’d literally vanished into thin air. I started calling her and whistling to no avail. I kept thinking how I was going to tell Kathy Doyle I had lost my foster dog! I knew there was no hole in the fence behind or to the side of shed and couldn’t figure out where she disappeared to. I stayed there ages calling her. I ran back into the house and searched it from top to toe just in case she had gone back in when I wasn’t looking. Eventually as I was getting into a complete state of panic, I decided to get my neighbour to come in and help me look for her. I knew by then the only place she could be was under the shed! My neighbour went to the back of the shed where the gap was and I was at the other side of the shed where there is only about a six inch gap between the side of the shed and fence. I was looking at this gap when I saw her trying to crawl out from under the shed but there wasn’t enough room for her to get out. Now unfortunately the gap under the front of the shed is bricked up so she couldn’t get out that way. She then disappeared and went back in under the shed. I thought at this stage I would pass out as all I kept thinking was she was going to be trapped there and how was I ever going to get her out. My neighbour kept calling her and eventually she crawled out towards the back and calmly made her way out the through the gap where she first went in. She was totally unfazed by it and walked away as if nothing had happened. Now this shed has been in situ for the past 15 years and never did my last dog or Ollie or any other dog ever go into the small gap (which by the way is now blocked). Needless to say she was filthy from her exploits and so her “punishment” was a bath.
Let no one be under any illusion that Lucy is an old frail dog. Far from it. Prior to this, we had been in the park for over an hour with her running off lead and she keeps pace with Ollie who is half her age. As I said in a previous post, she is going from strength to strength and shows no sign of slowing down. There’s plenty of life left in this little girl.

[kaydoyle]

Ah..poor you..you must have gotten the fright of your life …I didn;t know I was that scary

[Author]

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