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11-17-2008, 07:57 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Belmont, MA, USA
Posts: 22
| Playing? Hello All, I am new to YT and new to being a puppy owner. I have a 7 month old yorkie named Wilbur who we adopted at 8 weeks old. Wilbur has not had an easy life, he came to us in a rescue scenario and had serious yeast infection in his ears (required three rounds of medicine to clear it up) and out of the gate he was a suspected shunt pup. After the second ultra sound he was suspected MVD. After the biopsy / neutering he was FINALLY diagnosed with IBD and Lymphangiectasia. I say finally because it was four months of torture for poor Wilbur to get to that point. He was literally in the vets office or ER once a week from June to the beginning of October. Now that we have a solid diagnosis and can treat him (he takes steroids for now and then we will hopefully control his illness with diet) he is feeling better and behaving as a puppy should. In the past he would play with his toys for a day or two but then he would be sick for days. He would enjoy the park but that was so he could eat the grass. The challenge I am having is I have only known the sick version of Wilbur. How do I engage my baby so that he is a happy and energized baby? I feel stupid asking this question but I am a bit clueless as he is not like other dogs an we were not expecting such a sick pup when we adopted him. He can't eat treats or Nylabones. He can't play with toys he can shred and therefore ingest as it could upset his disease and he will relapse. We live in the northeast so I can't exactly walk him in the snow. He can't play with other dogs because he is only 5 pounds and due to the steroids he is overweight - at 5 lbs!! The big dogs are too rough with him. We are looking to adopt a smaller sized dog to be his sibling playmate but what do I do in the meantime? I take him to work with me where he sits in my lap most of the day. He has toys here but he isn't that interested. I can't let him run around because he puts things in his mouth and we can't have that. He has a basket muzzle that he wears but then I worry people will step on him. At home he waddles around and plays with his toys on occassion but he mostly barks asking to be played with but I don't know what to do. Too cold to walk / run outside. I have never had a dog before so I have no idea what to compare it to. Am I boring my dog? I am sorry this post is so long. Any help / insight you can provide is so appreciated. Thank you in advance.
__________________ Jennifer, Wilbur and Delilah 15 Month old Yorkie with IBD & 11 Month old Yorkie, respectively |
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11-18-2008, 03:18 AM | #2 |
Senior Yorkie Talker | I think he is just happy to be with you,I am sorry to hear he is so sick,maybe you can set up a play date with someone from this site,who lives in your area and also has a small dog.
__________________ Lins http://lindsaysmenagerie.blogspot.com/ |
11-20-2008, 05:39 AM | #3 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: TX
Posts: 3,358
| Wow, bless his heart, what a tough start in life. I would try to entice the terrier in him. Both Gracie Ruth & Yogi like to stalk, pounce and 'kill' their toys and each other. They will stalk a toy that is being slowly dragged in front of them. You can buy some inexpensive fleece, cut 3 thin'ish strips however long you want. Knot all 3 together at one end, start braiding them and knot at the other end, or knot just short of the end and leave a bit of a tail. Then much like you would play with a cat, dangle it in front of him, drag in on the floor, flip it around - all to get him to attack it. Play tug-of-war with it - be sure to let him "win" enough in the beginning so that he'll want to continue. I also play growl with G & Yogi and they both know we are playing when they hear me. Soft toys with squeakers in them also are great to get their attention and entice them to play. I would also suggest that you be down on the floor, so that you are at his level when you play. DH is real good at doing this with our gang. He'll lie down and play growl and "smack talk" and they climb and crawl all over him. They'll play King of the Hill on him, knocking each other off, mug his face with kisses and try to climb inside his shirt if they see an opening. But it may be that your boy simply won't be one to play much with toys. If that's the case how about trying to teach him tricks? Clicker training is great to stimulate their minds. And walks, walking is the best thing of all for them. It bonds you together, it's great exercise, it's stimulates their senses and it's just plain fun for them. Get a nice coat or sweater for the colder days. If the weather gets too bad to go outside, I take mine to pet friendly stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Petsmart/Petco, Feed Stores, Craft Stores, Office Supply stores, etc) and walk them around there so that they are still getting out and seeing/smelling different things. Just keep an eye on him so that he doesn't have any accidents and be sure to have stuff with you to clean up immediately if he does. A bell on his collar will help to make him 'visible' to people at work, and ex-pen or playpen would help to keep him safe yet allow him room to move around.
__________________ If you think dogs can't count, put 3 biscuits in your pocket, then give him only 2. Gracie Ruth & Boo & Yogi & RIP Annie B. & Bonnie Lane |
11-24-2008, 01:40 PM | #4 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Belmont, MA, USA
Posts: 22
| Playing - Thank you HI there, This is great information / insight, thank you. He has soo many toys and I try to engage him but sometimes....... he does seem to like the cat toys the best which cracks me up. I thought he would dislike the cooler weather but apparently it only bothers me - hee! He just walks faster when outside but he is not opposed to going out at all. I wonder if that will change when we go to VT for the holiday. I think we will get him a sibling too. He is lonely for puppy companionship and now that he has to wear a muzzle all the time he hasn't had the same level of interaction he used to with other dogs. He would love a sibling as he tries to play with cats and dogs with mixed reception. Thanks again so much for the great ideas. Have a great holiday!
__________________ Jennifer, Wilbur and Delilah 15 Month old Yorkie with IBD & 11 Month old Yorkie, respectively |
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