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Post by scallywag on May 22, 2020 19:49:35 GMT
Oooo orpheous87 that never occurred to me ( wax ) Beau is also going deaf I spoke to the vets he said that its usual at 10 they do start to , he never even looked in the ears. I do look all the time ( nice and clean ) I also have a wiff of them and no odour, so thinking its not wax ? His back leg goes from under him occasionally as does the front one , this getting old lark aint good is it
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Post by orpheous87 on May 22, 2020 20:16:31 GMT
I didn't think it would be possible to build up so much wax that they become completely deaf, but I suppose there's always a chance. There was a bit of wax when I looked the other day, but I didn't sniff them. Might do that tomorrow lol. Strange that he didn't look in the ears at all scallywag. When I've just been reading up on dogs "suddenly" going deaf, it said that the first thing that should be done is a full examination, including looking in the ears! I think I'll ask and make sure ours do that regardless. Though Beau's definitely doesn't sound like it'll be wax. Bless him, It's not. Pepper's back legs have always slid out from under her while she's eating unless she's on a mat because they're so much weaker than her front ones. She can almost do a handstand while eating.
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Post by scallywag on May 27, 2020 11:14:22 GMT
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Post by alfiemummy on May 27, 2020 18:32:04 GMT
Hope all goes well with restarting your dog walking alfiemummy , I suspect you'll be glad to be out & about again A very quiet start so far Just 5 clients in total, only 3 are every day. But glad to be back nonetheless, just wish it wasn't so hot - trust me to restart walking on the hottest day of the year
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Post by alfiemummy on May 27, 2020 18:42:20 GMT
Alfie has the same problem orpheous87 It seems like it's come on all of a sudden but when I thought about it I realised it's probably been going on for some time and I just didn't realise. I thought he'd just been getting a bit naughty in his old age and not listening to me but it's only when I was spending some much time home with him because of lockdown that I realised he seems to be almost totally deaf. My dad also suggested that it could be a build up in his ears so I checked them out but they seem fine, he's never had an issue with his ears - they don't smell and are clean, nothing came from them at all when I cleaned them. It's doubly sad as his eyes are also going too, I noticed last year they were going cloudy so had them checked by the vet. It's not cataracts but something else, I can't remember the name but it's age related. He also has an issue with them where the pupils don't respond to light, on his right eye the pupil stays fully dilated even when the vet shone a torch directly at it No wonder he's been getting a bit more grumpy and behaving strangely by barking randomly in the evenings when he's going deaf and blind. Add to that the fact that he has a liver problem and arthritic elbow - you'd be amazed he has all these things wrong with him if you saw him though! He still behaves like a dog half his age he's overjoyed to be back at work!
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Post by orpheous87 on May 27, 2020 19:07:59 GMT
It's very sad isn't it alfiemummy? Yes, Pepper has been exactly the same (but for her whole life). My cousin walked them once while she had laryngitis (so she couldn't talk much) and she found something to roll in and even though my cousin squeaked "Don't you dare" at her, Pepper simply looked her in the eye and then rolled. She's always known exactly what she's doing, the little bugger. I did sniff Pepper's ears the other day and they didn't smell horrible so I don't imagine it is a build up of wax or anything. Still going to get the vet to check of course. Bless Alfie. He does sound very like Pepper! Thankfully I haven't noticed anything with Pepper's eyes. I can only imagine the chaos she'd cause if she was blind as well >.< I've just been keeping her on the lead on walks, it's much easier at the moment because our paths are quite narrow and if she's off the lead I need to be able to call her back, which obviously I can't do. So she only gets left off when we're not walking those paths and I'll get an extra long long line once we've seen the vet. Aw I bet he is! Pepper definitely doesn't behave like a nearly 11 year old.
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Post by alfiemummy on May 27, 2020 19:44:05 GMT
Yes it's very sad But age has got to catch up with them all eventually I guess! Alfie used to have a perfect "emergency" recall with a whistle but I stopped using it for a while and when I used it again he just didn't respond to it at all, he just can't hear it! He doesn't bark at the doorbell at all anymore either, before he would be totally uncontrollable and bark without fail whenever someone was at the door. He's definitely not completely deaf though as if you say things loudly enough then he looks at you and can understand commands - but saying that he could just be very good at assuming what I want! He's always wandering around the house looking for me too, he sometimes doesn't realise I'm in the same room as him or literally right next to him if he's not facing me - I'll touch him and he always looks surprised and excited that I suddenly appear even though I was right there! I haven't actually had his ears checked properly yet as he hasn't been to the vet since lockdown, but he's due to go for a blood test soon to check his liver levels so I'll ask them to check then. Alfie doesn't go off the lead anymore now either as it just wouldn't be safe, he's always on his flexi and I've also just bought a new 15m biothane long line for him. I also got him a sleeve for his lead that says he's partially deaf & blind so people know if we see anyone on walks. People mostly avoid us anyway thanks to his muzzle - they always assume he's nasty but he's just endlessly hungry
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Post by orpheous87 on May 27, 2020 21:41:21 GMT
Yes this is true! Pepper used to have a decent recall too, but it slowly dwindled away and I didn't really notice. Yes, I've noticed that with Pepper too. The only reason she barks is because either she sees someone at the door, or she sees Cody barking and joins in! I've used hand signals when training, so although they're not proper sign language, she does understand what they mean so will still respond. I can still get a nose touch to my hand as long as I present my hand in the right way! Aw, bless him. I've noticed that Pepper will come looking for me more often now. I've been working from home for two months now and today is really the first time she's come upstairs to look for me multiple times. And she will follow me to the kitchen as well. We're pretty much certain she's deaf but I want the reassurance from the vet! I have some Thornit powder in that I used the other day to clean her ears and there's still no response when we're talking to her. No, exactly. I feel alright about letting her off if we're in a field for somewhere open, but on paths I think it just makes more sense to keep her on. Oh, I was trying to decide how long a line to get. I've got 10m ones, but was thinking of 15m - is it easy to handle? My scent work trainer makes biothane leads so I'll ask her to make me one with a handle on, or maybe to make it double ended so I can clip it to me. I definitely want a long line for trips to the beach etc.
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Post by scallywag on May 28, 2020 8:04:27 GMT
had a few tears reading your posts as I can relate to the ailments, Beau is exactly the same, wish I knew why he now hesitates to get past the first step on the stairs , be backs up a couple times before he attempts it. Not sure if its his hips hurting , or the cataracts making him lose his confidence
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Post by lotsofcats on May 28, 2020 10:43:24 GMT
Kobi is hard of hearing too - sometimes I think it is selective hearing. He's had a lot of trouble with his ears and I clean them out regularly. I'm putting some old drops in the at the moment as he's been shaking his head.
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Post by alfiemummy on May 28, 2020 18:11:37 GMT
Yes this is true! Pepper used to have a decent recall too, but it slowly dwindled away and I didn't really notice. Yes, I've noticed that with Pepper too. The only reason she barks is because either she sees someone at the door, or she sees Cody barking and joins in! I've used hand signals when training, so although they're not proper sign language, she does understand what they mean so will still respond. I can still get a nose touch to my hand as long as I present my hand in the right way! Aw, bless him. I've noticed that Pepper will come looking for me more often now. I've been working from home for two months now and today is really the first time she's come upstairs to look for me multiple times. And she will follow me to the kitchen as well. We're pretty much certain she's deaf but I want the reassurance from the vet! I have some Thornit powder in that I used the other day to clean her ears and there's still no response when we're talking to her. No, exactly. I feel alright about letting her off if we're in a field for somewhere open, but on paths I think it just makes more sense to keep her on. Oh, I was trying to decide how long a line to get. I've got 10m ones, but was thinking of 15m - is it easy to handle? My scent work trainer makes biothane leads so I'll ask her to make me one with a handle on, or maybe to make it double ended so I can clip it to me. I definitely want a long line for trips to the beach etc. Alfie only barks at the front window now when he sees people So while he might not see very well he can definitely still see somewhat! I'd always unintentionally done hand signals with Alfie when training too so he can still do most of his tricks, he's also just very good at reading me or the situation and assuming regardless of if he can hear me or not Quite often I just have to point or click my fingers and he knows what I mean anyway. I had still been letting Alfie off the lead up until very recently and he is very good to be honest, he never strays far and is always looking out for me. But I just worry what will happen if there is an emergency or he loses sight of me and panicks - he will run to find me and I won't be able to get his attention So on lead he stays! I actually have a variety of long lines from over the years for work obviously the nylon ones are rubbish as they hold water like a sponge and are horrible to handle. I have three biothane ones, one is only 5m which is fine as a grab line for the dogs that don't like to come near me when they have treasure. My 10m line is perfectly fine length wise but sadly its too thick - its about an inch wide and it stays fairly coiled up rather than flattening and stretching out which is annoying so I'd definitely avoid a thick line and go for something thinner. The 15m is fine to handle and gives him plenty of space, it's no harder to handle than the 10m. Alfie's new line is only 9mm thick so it's perfect, it only coils up slightly at the very end. I'd be confident that a 9mm would be strong enough to hold the weight of a Springer, it's just the size of the clip I'd be worried about. The clip on ours is pretty small but he's not a huge dog anyway so I can get away with it but I wouldn't use it on a larger dog. If you're having one made to order I'd definitely ask for a thinnish line but with a big enough clip. I personally don't like handles or clips on the end of mine as I like to let them trail on the ground and don't want them getting caught or causing injuries, all of mine are just cut at the end. I don't find I need a handle anyway as the biothane is pretty grippy, I also use rubber palmed riding gloves whenever I'm handling the line which add grip and protect my hands - so I tend to just hold the line loosely and let it slide through my hands as the dog gets closer or further away and allow the rest to trail behind us.
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Post by orpheous87 on May 28, 2020 21:19:56 GMT
Aw scallywag, it's a shame isn't it? Poor Beau. Does he come down the stairs alright? It's funny how you do end up using hand signals without realising isn't it? I'm starting to put the work in with Ellie & Cody in now though for the thumbs up to mean 'good'. I just think it'll help when/if they get to this stage. Pepper is a dawdler and she likes to sniff everything, so keeping her on the lead can be a pain because you end up stopping every few seconds, but letting her off is just asking for trouble. I think she panicked the other day when she ran in the opposite direction to where I was stood shouting her name. So on lead it is unless I'm sure she's paying attention! I have considered a vibrating collar but I'm not that sold on the idea really as I just don't see an easy way of training her to understand that when it vibrates she needs to look at me. Haha! I also have a variety of long lines, but two of them are the Company of Animals ones, and they soak up water and collect crap lol. I also have a rubbery Julius K9 one which is a thinner line with a smaller clip. We've used it for man trailing and it holds Pepper alright so I think I'd be alright with a thinner one for walks. She only actually weighs 15.3kg at the minute, but all her strength is at her front end. Yeah, I'm undecided on a handle. I'm happy to let the line trail as long as we're on a path and she doesn't go off into the trees but I'd be worried about it getting caught even without a handle. But I imagine biothane is less likely to than the others I have. My others are knotted towards the end just so if I stand on them, it's not just going to pull through under my foot, lol. The knot should stop that happening.
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Post by scallywag on May 29, 2020 7:34:44 GMT
orpheous87 yes hes fine going down , i feel bad for him as he doesnt hear you approach and jumps when he sees you come from behind. He also follows me around the house now . EDIT ... OFF TOPIC have you and alfiemummy boosted the voting , lord only knows , we need some
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Post by orpheous87 on May 29, 2020 20:59:32 GMT
Bless him! Pepper jumps occasionally and I've stopped locking her crate door on a night too, because on a morning she's usually in quite a deep sleep and opening the door makes her snarl something terrible because it's a surprise. She has taken to following us at times and while I'm working, she'll come upstairs to find me now. She wasn't doing that at the start of lockdown. I'll go and do that now.
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Post by orpheous87 on May 29, 2020 21:00:39 GMT
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