New old little too little lady

[HTRednek]

Hey all,
Ok, so we just inherited my late father-in-law's 17 yr old doxie, Anne. So far our biggest issue has been getting our 4yr old Akita, Bella, from thinking of her as a chew toy.

We're concerned though, because even though we know they're supposed to be skinny, she's AWFULLY skinny, with very pronounced ribs and spine and when you squeeze the skin it tends to hold its shape (similar to dehydration). She eats like a horse however(and subsequently leaves piles that are almost as big as Bella's).

Do they tend to thin out this much in their later years? Is this something we should be concerned with, or just her natural build.

 

[Tikki]

I think your main concern is to make sure that Bella is never left alone with Anne. Regarding Anne being skinny - have you or your vet been weighing her?

She is not a puppy she is an elderly lady who is eating well and, from your post, defacating well. As long as her poo's do not appear to have her food go through her undigested and she is drinking and pee'ing as normal, tbh I would just let her live out the rest of her life as she wants to and she is happy.

The little mutt I had a few years back slowed down and definitely lost weight before she died in her sleep on night, cuddled up to me.

Incidentally, have either been spayed? And has Bella ever been in close and regular contact with a small dog before?

 

[HTRednek]

So far Bella seems to be behaving pretty well. The first day or 2 were iffy but she's used to Anne now so long as she doesn't get in her way. Bella is protective and will grumble if she see's something she doesn't like. They definitely wouldn't share food bowls though, so I have to keep them separate. That alone has helped avoid confrontations.

We haven't involved a vet yet. We've only had Anne for about 2 weeks and have been more focused on acclimation to the new environment than anything. (my bedroom looks like its handicap accessible with the ramp I built so she can get up on the bed.)

 

[CaseyKC]

Hi and Welcome,

I love that you have built a ramp for Anne. How long did it take you to teach her to use it?

I have been a failure in convincing my Libby to use one. My bed is so high up that Libby can't get up on it by herself, but she has always refused to use either the stair set we have, or a ramp. She will sit beside the bed until I lift her up, but I have to always remind myself to put her on the floor when I leave the room. Otherwise she will jump off and I have always worried that she might hurt her back. This creates a slight conflict in the mornings as I have to wake her up to go out to do business and she would prefer to sleep in until her internal clock says it is time to get up. After she has her breakfast, she wants to go back for her "early morning nap," but unless I am in the room to lift her up, she has to use her own little dog bed in the corner, and arrange her little blanket over herself which she has taught herself to do. This is always accompanied by a great deal of drama, which is to let me know she doesn't appreciate being deprived of "the big bed" and doesn't like to personally fix her own blanket in the dog bed to her own satisfaction. The ramp remains at the foot of my bed, but she remains steadfast in her refusal to use it. I figure it is her own fault that she has to nap in her dog bed as we have, for over ten years, had hundreds of training sessions on using either the stairs or ramp. I have bribed her with treats on each rung of the ramp or stairs, had her favorite toy peeking over the edge of my bed, cajoled and pleaded, and even pretended to go to sleep without her. NO way, not happening. She refuses to set foot on the ramp. The only other things she fears are garden snakes, (I get that and share her dislike) and the vacuum cleaner, which has never attacked her or gone near her. Other than these three things, the ramp/stairs, snakes, and the vacuum, it has never occurred to Libby that she isn't the biggest, strongest, bravest dog in the world. (She weighs 13 lbs.)

 

[HTRednek]

She didn't want anything to do with it until I laid a blanket down for traction. I had put 1 inch treads across it every 8 inches or so, but that wasn't enough and she didn't like the sliding.
We would put her at the top of the ramp showed her she was ok climbing down, then got up on the bed and she figured out pretty quick she could go right back up.

(ignore the nasty concrete floor in the pic, I'm in the middle of replacing laminate flooring with carpet)

 

[CaseyKC]

A friend covered Libby's ramp with extra carpet when I had the floors re done. Libby still wants nothing to do with it.

 

[Tikki]

Tikva, who is only half Dachshund [Dachshund on stilts as she has been described here, although I do not remember by whom] should have been called Zebedee and she is not only on stilts but with springs at the end of them!

She has always been a leaper, getting onto the coach when she was very small and I thought well unable to get up, but she did. It was not long before she first got on my bed, which she does not sleep on. She sleeps in her crate in my bedroom.

I have an extremely high bed to enable me to get on it and then off onto my chair - it has a higher than normal orthopaedic mattress, a memory foam topper on that, and an "egg carton" foam topper on top of the lot.

Tik will take a flying leap onto it from the doorway and a flying leap off. If she was a full Doxie there is no way she would be able to do so, and I would be terrified she could damage her spine.

There is no room in my bedroom for a ramp or steps but even though I miss that "heartbeat at my feet" I honestly do not want her sleeping with me. Well I would love it but after my epi girl I just cannot have it.

She is happy to go into her crate at night - it is "out, peepee, bikki and bed" and I know she is safe - and it is nice to have my bed to myself these days.