Can you describe the wheezing? Does it sound like it is coming from the throat or the chest? How regularly does she do it, is it stimulated by anything in particular (heavy exercize, eating, heat etc).

A dog can be itchy for a number of reasons. In order to get any helpful suggestions, you would need to give more info than just "my dog is itchy".

Useful things to know include:
Where is he scratching (what areas of the body, or is it all over)?
Have you checked the skin? - are there signs of ticks/fleas or bites, a rash, red spot or is the skin totally clear?
Has there been a change in food, shampoo or environment recently?



This post has been edited by Divas: Oct 24 2010, 04:17 PM

Its very unlikely that it is pneumonia with just a cough as a symptom.

Small breeds can sometimes make a noise which could be described as a cough or 'honk' coming from the throat. Unless it is happening constantly and causing breathing issues (very very rare) it is nothing to worry about and usually caused by either dust/fluff in the throat or in some cases the throat passage semi collapses. In that case it is nothing to worry about (unless like i said it is very regular, like many many many times a day).

Alternatively, if she has just come from somewhere where there are other dogs it could be kennel cough (if it sounds like the kind of cough we make). Kennel cough isn't usually severe (unless the dog already has a weakened immune system) and will cure itself as long as you keep her warm and dry as much as possible (you can also give her a boost with a supplement like nutri-cal or puppy paste to help her get over it).

If there is a lot of dust in your house, it could simply be that she has a little stuck in her throat every now and then causing her to cough it out (remember dog's faces are much closer to the ground than ours so it is easier for them to sniff up a bit of dust or fluff).

There are other things that cause coughing, but these are the most common. If the vet has given her a clean bill of health then don't worry about it too much (as long as it was a good vet). Keep an eye on her if you are concerned but as a general rule, if they are still eating, pooping and playing then they are fine.

You also need to shave her paw pads, clip nails, clean ears (including pulling ear hair) and express anal glands as well if you will just be grooming at home .

Sounds like you are very organized, have done your research and have everything under control . Well done, huge thumbs up. I would say (for your groomer's sake) try to get the unevenness under control. As a groomer it is really frustrating to get an uneven coat in as it takes a lot more work to even it out again (in some countries a groomer will charge double if you come in with an uneven coat that you have cut yourself).
I'll pm you some tips for getting the coat even . Can't be giving away all the secrets to grooming in public, might get shot by other groomers .

Good breeders won't have "short leg poodles" as it is incorrect according to breed standards. Poodles are supposed to have long legs and their length from point of rump to point of shoulder should be as close as possible to their height at the withers...

If you want a short legged dog, choose a breed that is supposed to have short legs (Pekingese, Dachshund), if you want a Poodle, get a poodle that is the shape of a poodle....

If you don't want your dog to be shaved down, either make sure you brush her enough so she doesn't get matted, send her for grooming more often or pay your groomer to do dematting (where the mats are slowly teased apart one by one, professional groomers will charge per hour to do this so how much it will cost will depend on how bad the mats are) make sure your groomer is not using a 'dematting tool' to do this... it is like a huge rake and quite painful, they should be doing it manually with their hands, a brush, a comb and possibly some scissors if the mats are really bad. Once dematting is done, the coat should be even as if there were no mats at all, if there are huge chunks of coat missing, dematting was done incorrectly).

Also your dog will not be sad about having her coat shaved off, unless you are sad about it (or she had a bad experience at the groomer). If you act like there is nothing wrong or different, she will act the same).

How long the coat takes to grow back depends on what kind of food you feed, what shampoo you use, how well you maintain the coat, genetics and how long you want it to be...

Also aren't you just about to take your dog to Cameron Highlands? If she is naked i would strongly suggest picking up a warm jumper or 'jammies'' if you can find some so she doesn't get too cold up there .

I don't recommend supplementing dogs who are eating a good quality kibble. If you wish to have a truly superb coat you can give some Primrose or Omega oils (the Grizzly oil is supposed to be good), unless their food is fish based in which case the oils in the food should suffice. But other than that (unless you have a large breed requiring Glucosamine and Chondroitin) the food you feed should have everything your dog needs.

As far as shampoo goes, stay away from heavily scented/perfumed shampoos and those with alcohol in and you should be fine .

This is because tiny toy and teacup have a higher chance to 'faint' (due to dehydration or lack of energy) than larger dogs. The glucose will give them a boost and get them up on their feet again, but they will need to eat real food soon to prevent them from fainting again.
If your dog starts looking very sleepy for no reason or looks faint, you can mix up some strong glucose solution (basically as much glucose as can dissolve in about 1cc of water as possible) and syringe it into their mouth. If your dog has already fainted, you can carefully syringe it into their stomach but you have to be really careful you don't get it in the lungs (and then rush to the vet asap).
This is also what you need to do for premature/weak puppies if they lose too much energy between feeds and can't re-latch onto the nipple.

Don't worry too much though. As long as your tiny toy/teacup eats meals regularly they shouldn't faint. You can also use nutritional supplement (nutri-gel, nutri-cal, puppy paste) for if they ever decide not to eat a full meal and you are worried. These supplements basically just give extra protein (energy) and some good vitamins and minerals as well.

When was she last de-wormed?

As for the eating poop. What food are you currently feeding? how long has she been eating that food for?
Some puppies go through a phase of poop eating, in which case the only thing you can do is not give her the opportunity to gat to her poop (clean it up as soon as she does it).

Otherwise, it could be that she isn't digesting properly, this could be for a number of reasons:
1. She is eating too much so not digesting it fully and it comes out still tasting (and looking) like kibble. If her poop looks similar to kibble that has been soaked in water and then pushed together, this is most likely the reason.
2. The bacteria in her digestive system isn't sufficient (this is usually only the case after very severe worm infestation, a stomach blockage or an operation on the digestive tract). In this case a little plain yogurt would do her good, or a dog food with added probiotics/prebiotics.
3. She isn't getting enough nutrition from the food, so tries to re-digest it to gain more nutrition (this can be for a number of reasons, but will also have other signs, she will get skinnier and tire easily for starters).
4. She isn't getting enough food and is still hungry (this could also be happening if she has intestinal worms taking all the nutrition from the food).

I would start with de-worming her (if she hasn't been dewormed in the last month, not including heartguard) and see how it goes. Also try to clean up the poop as soon as she does it to make sure this doesn't become a habit.

I don't know what food you are feeding, but if it is a good quality food, changing it shouldn't be necessary. There are some other things you can do, but we should find out the cause first .

I'm sure she is fine. Poop eating isn't usually a sign of any major problem (when it is on its own).

Check what the vet says next week, a vet will usually deworm your puppy at the same time as the vaccination if you don't do it yourself so see how that goes.

As long as she hasn't had vaccination in the last week then she can shower.

If your puppy is especially small or weak in any way be careful. Even if your puppy is healthy you should keep the water warm and dry her off fully as fast as possible.
Make sure no water gets into her nose or ears and ensure you wash out the shampoo well.

Also make sure you give her a good brush all over before the bath (although not always necessary at such a young age, it is a good habit to get in to).

Your breeder should have been through simple things like this with you...

You shouldn't unless they are acting 'faint' and need energy fast to get them back on their feet.

Some people will recommend adding a little to the water of a very sick dog (Parvo or something of similar severity) but if you have a healthy pup eating good quality food there really is no need at all.

Generally 3 times is a good idea for puppies under 3-4 months old but if your dog is doing fine on 2 and doesn't seem to get really hungry in between then it should be ok.

When buying a puppy you should find a reputable and responsible breeder rather than going to a pet shop. Most pet shops get their dogs from puppy mills or backyard breeders. Spend the time to ensure you get a good quality dog from a responsible breeder who will be able to support you and advise you throughout the dogs life.
Don't support backyard breeders and puppy mills, when the buying stops, the selling will.

If you find a responsible breeder, you are 99% guaranteed that their "service" is good no matter when. This is because they care about their puppies. They want to make sure their puppies go to a great home and get the best life possible and will want to know how they are doing as they grow up...

Read THIS thread for more info on finding a responsible breeder, although a quick google search would get you all the same information plus more which hasn't been posted on that thread yet.
Even someone who has never met any breeder before can get a pretty good idea of how responsible a breeder is if they know what to look for and what to ask.

If you are looking for a dog, it takes time and research to ensure you get the best possible match for you and your family. A dog is with you for a long time (up to 20+years) so it is important to make sure you get one that not only suits you, but will be happy and healthy (preventing you from spending heartache worrying about them as well as money paying for medical bills).

Most professional groomers will charge around 60-80RM per hour of dematting.

If a groomer doesn't charge you extra for dematting when your dog has a lot of tangles it is most likely because they will simply cut the mats out (rather than slowly detangle them as a professional would) leaving your dog's coat uneven and full of holes. Not only is an uneven coat ugly, it also mats faster.

If you don't want to pay extra, either keep your dog in a shorter clip, groom them more often or brush them well at home

Depends, sometimes the coat will change, sometimes it won't. Can never tell for sure until it actually happens (and even then it might go back again).

Although it looks like that puppy is in a petshop....

Doesn't mean they should be keeping the infant of a highly sociable animal that should be learning to play and interact with other living things in a glass box all day... no matter how reliable they are

Usually dark patches on the skin will shop up once a hot-spot/fungus/cut/other injury has healed up, black areas of the skin of a dog is kind of like a scar in a way. Perhaps a picture of the patches would be useful to see what they look like.

In general if the skin is just a different color and the texture is the same (not flaky/hard/oily etc) it is probably nothing and could be related to age (although 5 years is quite young to start showing signs of old age). I wouldn't worry. If you see red patches on the skin or it seems irritated/itchy/spotty, you will probably need a couple of rounds of medicated washes, otherwise don't worry.
If his skin does look abnormal (apart from the color), especially if it is itchy, it could be a form of mange mite or a fungal infection.

The other alternative is that it is just a pigmentation change kick started by hormones as your dog ages. Again, this is nothing to worry about at all.

With a picture i might be able to narrow down the options a bit .