Q. Bleeding from vulva and inability to use back legs

ANSWER : A. First, avoid scolding him and acting aggressively towards him if you don’t want him to be acting aggressively towards you. There are other methods you can use to communicate to your dog that you don’t want him to continue doing what he is doing. I recommend you stop telling him “no”, scolding him, or raising your voice at him. Everything coming from you should be 100% positive and 100% calm.

Try to figure out ways to clearly communicate what you want to your dog. If you want your dog to leave something or someone alone, I strongly suggest teaching your dog commands like “leave it”. Here is a link to a video in which I explain how to do it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TS5nA7z5Q

Another thing I suggest you use is a no-reward marker. This clearly communicates when your dog has done something wrong. No-reward markers have to be introduced during your training sessions. You should be doing at least three training sessions per day, that are something like 3-10 minutes long (working on different things each training session). If you are teaching your dog something BRAND NEW, do not use the no-reward marker, as you do not want to discourage your dog from performing behaviors for you. Use the no-reward marker for known behaviors only. Here is another helpful video about this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdU5a6fXKlg

Lure each new behavior (as shown in the video) using high value treats. Let’s say you’re working on “down” which is a behavior your dog knows fairly well. Present the treat to your dog. Ask your dog to “down” (only ask once). If he does not go “down” immediately, say, “uh-oh” or “eh-eh” in a gentle tone, and then place the treat behind your back. This communicates to your dog that they did something to make the treat go away.

After you place the treat behind your back to show your pup “that was wrong” you need to communicate to your pup “let’s try again” by getting your pup to walk around for a second, and then start the behavior all over again. If your puppy is very young, chances are you haven’t taught him a solid “down” behavior yet. So, as I said, do not use this method until you have lured each new behavior as shown in the video.

This is the order in which you should teach behaviors: Lure using a high value treat as shown in the video. After a few successful food lures, lure with an empty hand. If the pup is successful with the empty hand lure, reward with lots of treats. If the pup is unsuccessful, then go back to food-luring a couple more times. After a few successful empty-hand lures, you can begin to add the cue. Say “sit”, then lure with an empty hand, and then reward. Once your pup understands the cue, begin to work on the no-reward marker.

ANSWER : A. This particular breed is very susceptible to back problems. Your dog is showing some classic symptoms of back pain- reluctance to climb stairs, weakness or inability to use a rear leg and grunting. Your dog should be examined and have radiographs of her back as soon as possible. Hopefully, she can be treated medically, but sometimes back problems progress quickly to something surgical. The quicker you get an accurate assessment of the extent of her problem, the quicker you dan get her some pain relief.

ANSWER : A. There are lots of problems with the back that can go wrong , however one common one is Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVD). This involves a gradual degeneration of the pads between vertebrae that are used to help pad impact and protect the nerves inside the spinal cord. This can cause pain, trouble walking, paralysis and more. Many other back problems can include Wobbler’s Syndrome- a problem where the neck and back meet, or even just plain injury to the back itself. Boxers that have docked tails may also have nerve issues in the cauda equina- a group of nerves that meet at the base of the back and tail and are important in proper function of the lower organs, tail and legs.

ANSWER : A. Leg injuries are very common in small dogs, especially if they have jumped from a high place, or even stumbled and landed on the leg wrong. Leg injuries can be caused by anything from minor sprains and strains, to full blown breaks or joint tears and even arthritis or luxating patellas (knee joints that slip in and out). If the leg appears swollen, dislocated or there is visible bone or bleeding, veterinary care should be sought. Providing strict kennel rest and decreased activity for a day or two can help with minor injuries, however if the limping continues for more than a day you should make an appointment with your local veterinarian.

ANSWER : A. Ear Irritation can be caused by a number of things ranging from allergies, ear infections or even mites. Dirty ears can also cause irritation and problems. Knowing the type of problem is best for figuring out how to treat it.

For plain dirty ears that do not have any odor, redness or leakage of discharge/debris, a simple over the counter canine ear cleaner can be used. Gently soak some cotton balls or a washcloth with the cleaner, and then use these to wipe out the flap of the ear and opening to the ear. Do NOT use Q-tips as these can become stuck or lodged in the curve of the ear canal and may cause injury to the ear drum.

If the ear is bright red or itchy without any dirt or debris in it, it may indicate an allergy. Sometimes an allergy medication can help provide relief in this situation. Your vet can give you the correct dosages of an over the counter allergy medication to use, or may recommend one specifically for dogs.

For infections and mites, changes to the ear such as bad smell or lots of debris and discharge, flecks of black or brown debris, or scabs and sores in the ear may be present. In these cases, it is best to have your vet take a sample of the ear debris to test for mites or infection. Your vet can then give you an ointment that is placed and left in the ear between ear cleanings. Most vets will then recommend cleaning the ears twice daily and then leaving in the ointment after for a period of ten days.

Ear mites ARE contagious to other pets, so if your dog does have them, it is best to treat any other pets in the house at the same time to prevent the mites from spreading around continuously.

ANSWER : A. While ingredients of this product are not easy to find, it seems that if the product is safe to use on humans for wiping, it should be OK for use externally to clean off dirt or debris on the fur.

It is best to try a small area of skin to try the product on first, and then watch for any reactions. Signs of adverse reaction include itching, redness, rash or irritation at the site used. If any irritation is seen, use should be discontinued. If no irritation is seen, it should be OK to use the wipes on a larger part of the body.

ANSWER : A. I recommend you get her checked out right away. It sounds like she has back pain, and potentially she’s showing signs of some neurologic dysfunction (not being able to use her back legs properly). If she has “slipped” a disk there’s a very short window in which medical intervention can help. An emergency vet (I’m assuming it’s New Year’s Day where you are) will be able to assess her neurologic status and provide the appropriate treatment to not only treat her pain but hopefully restore her neurologic function.

ANSWER : A. If you cat suddenty lost ability to walk on back legs you should take him to your vets without delay as it could be related to heart disease. It may be a blood clot from the heart blocking blood supply to back legs.