Question by americanlivvy: What is the best way to get over the death of a dog?
He was my neighbor behind me’s dog. There were two of them. Spot and pepper. (Spot is the one that passed away.)

Spot didn’t deserve to die. He was found by his owners, on a farm in the snow and almost died, but they saved him. He didn’t have a tail, he had a little nub instead and when you came to see him he would shake it and it was like a tiny bunny’s tail. He was very talented. He LOVED it when you threw his ball for him and he would come and bring it back for you. He was able to jump up in mid air and catch the ball. He was smart. When you came to the fence to get his ball from him he would drop it and if it was too far all you’d have too say was “bring it closer spot” and he would bring it so that you could reach it. He was such a sweet dog. I used to take care of them alot when my neighbors left to go on a trip. I would open the garage and the first thing i’d hear was spot running up to the fence hearing the jingling of his collar jumping all over it excited to see me. He would jump on my lap and lick my face. He was so playful, sweet, and smart and i loved that dog so much even though he wasn’t mine. They didn’t get alot of TLC from their owners, they weren’t deprived but they didn’t get enough attention from them and so now i’m afraid for pepper now that her best friend is gone. The thing is, Spot wasn’t very old he was mid aged, was healthy, and was much younger then peppe. who (pepper is old and is deaf now and has arthritis). I was suppossed to take care of both of them this weekend. My neighbor called my mom and told her and when i came home from school my mom explained to me that spot had gone out to lay in the sun and didn’t get up when my neighbor’s husband came to feed him. I went to see pepper yesterday and today and it made me get a big lump in my throat. It was so quiet. I didn’t hear the jingling of the collar, the usual sweet excitied greeting from spot. Something was missing. Poor pepper. She’s so lonely now. She and I both are looking for Spot very hard, but only I know that he isn’t going to come and appear. I cried myself to sleep thinking about it yesterday and as i write this… tears are filling my eyes. His death was so unexpected. My mom and i think he maybe got a heart attack. This is such a big change for me. When my dog barks, i no longer hear the bark of spot to join next to the fence. How do i get over this and stop crying so much?

Best answer:

Answer by my puppy how cute!!!!!
just think that he is in a better place my dog died to when i was like 8 and im ten now but he is in a better place and he will alyaws be by ur side just rember the thx

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Question by Myndi: Best dog multivitamin?
So, we just got back from the vet today and she suggested some different supplements. My older dog is having some arthritis issues, so I’m ordering some Flexicose for him. Aside from that, both my dogs get fish oil daily. But, she mentioned that I might look into a multivitamin type thing for them. My only problem is that I really have no idea what kind to buy. Any advice, brand-wise or anything?
I did ask my vet. She didn’t know and didn’t have anything in stock. I’m a new patient, I guess, and I haven’t been to her for an actual appointment until today and I don’t think I’ll be going back…

Best answer:

Answer by papaw
Ask your vet. She should know that, too…probably has a good brand in stock, even.

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Question by Doodalicious: what kind of hot dogs are best for arthritis?

Best answer:

Answer by MerlinTheCat
chicken dogs most likely…most dogs are made from beef…and/or bums and lips of the cow
Eating a lot of red meat can increase the risk of inflammatory arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, new findings suggest. These findings add to the list of health problems that can be caused by eating too much red meat.

Hope this helps
Merlin

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Question by Kristen Chandler: What dog breed is the best for protection?
I have two children (6 and 3 yrs old) and we live in the country. There are NO leash laws out here so dogs roam free doing what they please. Most of them are okay, but sometimes a mean one will come around. We have owned 2 pit bulls over the last 14 years. Our male had to be put to sleep recently because of arthritis/old age but we still have his Aunt that is aging better than he did. They each had/have shock collars so they couldn’t/can’t roam around when they go out of the house since we dont have a fenced in yard. But they were always like an extra set of eyes for me outside with my kids. They never actually got into any fights with roaming dogs, but they would get themselves between my kids and any aggressive dogs that pop up out of nowhere out here. I am always outside while our kids are out so I have always been able to run off these bad dogs when I hear my dogs warning barks…I just will never be able to run across our property as fast as our dogs can so I always want to keep a good guard dog around. Cops wont do anything when I call about aggressive dogs (they tell us to shoot dogs that come on our property aggressivly, but i don’t want to do that), so we have to deal with them ourselves. The female we still have is too old to really protect our children from roaming dogs anymore. She will still do it, but I don’t want her to worry about younger dogs that could hurt her. Like I said before, our dogs have never actually had to fight off these dogs, but one day it might happen. It came really close to a fight once. Our male that just passed was outside with us back when we only had our daughter and she was only 2 yrs old. A male dog came out of nowhere and was running at our daughter! I started running towards her, but Chance (our male) got there first and put himself between her and the other dog. The dog stopped running at them, but they were growling at each other. I grabbed a branch and ran at the dog…he ran away and we havent seen him since. We LOVE our pit bulls…they have been the best dogs we have ever owned! They were always gentle with our children and we never had to worry about them ever hurting the kids (unless their tails smacked them…haha). They have been amazing guard dogs and have kept countless strange dogs away from us and our kids without ever actually fighting them. But we are not sure if we want to get another pit bull right now…it feels like we are replacing our male, Chance. But we need to get another guard dog so our older female can ‘retire’ and let the younger dog deal with new strays. I have heard dobermans are good, but they are all looks and no ‘bite’. With dogs out here its all about intimidation so I need a dog that won’t back down until I get there to run the stray off myself. I know Rottwielers are supposed to be good as well. If pit bulls are really just the ultimate BEST (when they have the right owners and training) then we are going to stick with them, but we would like to try a different breed out for a change. I just dont want to get a breed that will back down to any of these strays cause some of them are pretty big and mean. And the breed has to be great with kids! Our kids could do anything to our pitts and they would never be aggressive towards them (not that we let our kids ‘abuse’ them, im just saying a 2 yr old boy is going to play rough)…our kids could literally take the food/bones out of our dogs mouths and the dogs wouldnt care at all (they also knew they would get their bones right back…haha). So please, no posts about ‘oh you horrible person looking for an aggressive dog’…i am NOT fighting them…i just need a good guard breed that can handle the life we live out here!
it also has to be a fast runner…the main thing is how fast they can get to our kids before the stray. cost is also not a factor…our dogs are like our kids…worth every penny we ever spend on them!
we have considered fencing, but we have a lot of acreage to cover and don’t plan on staying here for even 2 more years.
and yes, my dogs are like a personal security system and they love it! its what they were bred for and what they do best. all breeds have things they were bred for and stopping them from acting on their natural instincts is just mean and wrong and can lead to those same dogs turning into bad dogs because their owners wont let them be their true selves. if i had a hound dog i would use it for hunting whatever animal it was bred to hunt…or use it for tracking if it has a great sense of smell…etc. all dog breeds have a purpose and they should be able to use their natural abilities. and why even post saying your not going to read my paragraph…yeah i know its long. if you don’t like it then move on buddy!

Best answer:

Answer by delo dancer
Bulldog is the best for protection

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Question by Kacee: What’s the best stair height for my corgi?
My corgi is nine and beginning to have a tougher time getting on and off the couch due to arthritis . He uses a step stool to get in bed when he wants, but I think even that’s starting to put too much pressure on his joints. We want to build him steps to the couch. What would a good height be? I’ve seen dog stairs with two, three and four steps. What would work best for his long body?

Best answer:

Answer by Learning Daily
Ramps are better then stairs. I’ve built 2 for my dachshund.
for the couch I took a piece of 36 inch long 1×12, attached a strip of indoor outdoor rug to one side with a few cross bars of 1/2 inch square stock for traction. To hold it on the couch I nailed a piece of 12 inch wide 24 inch long canvas to the top edge. the back edge is laid under the couch cushion and held inplace with safety pins.

For my bed which was 24 inches high. I made a ramp with legs that is the width of the queen bed and goes across the foot.

My girl can navigate the ramps easily and with no strain on her joints or back

Look online there are lots of pictures of ramps with dimensions to help you figure out what you can use in the space you have.

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Question by Elle: What is the best pain pill for large dogs?? Lab has arthritis.:(?

Best answer:

Answer by walking lady
You can’t try and help your dog’s pain without first taking him to the vet. The vet needs to x-ray to determine how severe the arthritis is, then from there, you’ll know what meds he needs.

He might need prescription meds, or he may be able to go on glucosamine chondroitin with MSM. But your vet’s the only one who can tell you (and determine dosage based on severity) after your dog’s been examined.

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Question by Emily Garland: What is the best way to ease arthritic pains in a dog?
My 6 year old mutt is beginning to get arthritis in her elbows. I feel so bad for her since she used to be SO active and now she is limping and it hurts her to go up and down stairs, let alone to run around like she used to! I think it is making her depressed, and it makes us sad to see her so sad:(
What is an inexpensive way to help ease the pain she is feeling without having to go to the vet about it again? Thank you for any suggestions!!

Best answer:

Answer by Laurie
They do have meds, no prescription for arthritis pain for dogs. Just call the vet and ask the dose. Now you can also let the dog rest on a heating pad that may relieve some of the stiffness. Set the pad on warm only and never leave the pad unattended.

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Question by l: Possible Points for best helpful tip!!!?
For any dog owners [past, present, i guess future too if you know any tips or information]: my dog has arthritis, and i was wondering if you knew anything i could do besides take her to the vet; any medicine, maybe excersises, shes been to the vet in the past but any other tips meanwhile?

Best answer:

Answer by durdenslabs
Hydrotheraphy is great for arthritic dogs. Also accupunture when done by a professional. Gentle massage is often good.

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Question by Megan P: Safe time for my dog to get pregnant? Will award best answer.?
My female black lab is about 6 months old.I know its not safe to breed them the first time she goes into heat, but when will it be safe. My older male black lab is 7 years old and has bad arthritis. I’m afraid to wait to long, but i also don’t want to put them in any danger at all.

Also we aren’t breeding them to sell them, we simply want their puppies to remember them by when they pass.

Any tips for when she should get pregnant and while she is pregnant would be great. Links are good too.
I don’t need the negative comments, i’m just looking for some help. If you won’t give it to me, then don’t comment.

Best answer:

Answer by Vashti
Never – get her spayed.

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Question by Cel’s: What the best medicine for dogs with arthritis ?

Best answer:

Answer by aowalison
Find an NAET practitioner that is willing to work on your dog. NAET treatments are for allergies and usually this will clear up any arthritis. Good luck

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