Author: dustychau

8yo still learning how to dog domestically

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What we thought was just a simple cough/cold

Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
*We are no expert, just sharing our journey*

Cough can mean a lot of things; kennel cough, lung problems, heartworm, etc. Can’t be sure what the root cause is unless seeking help from professionals. 

Symptoms

Dusty started with what doesn’t sound like a cough in 2020 mid-December. It sounded like he was trying to exhale out deep from his lung with like a mini bark (sort of like sighing and barking). He only does that when he wanted to bark/is agitated/excited. So we thought it was him trying to express his emotions but in a different way?? 

After ~3weeks, the cough got more frequent and slowly started sounding like hacking coughs. Within ~2 weeks, it got worst and after cough, it always ends with him retching. 

That’s when we felt that something wasn’t right. 

Diagnosis

Went for a vet visit, did X-ray, and found that his lungs were cloudy. No heart murmur was heard, heart looks normal, just 2 fade white spots that can’t conclude or tell what exactly it was. We were given doxycycline and theophylline to help open his airway. But sadly he still cough and 2weeks later a follow-up was done and showed no improvements, which meant that it wasn’t pneumonia/bronchitis. 

A new medication was given, furosemide (water drawing med), which helps to release water in his body and he sure did pee a lot! Good news! It helps to reduce his cough but that also means that it might be the heart that has been causing the build-up of fluid. An echo was then suggested to check on his heart.

Indeed, after the echo, Dr came up with some conclusion:
Stage C CCVHD
Suspected DCM 
No pulmonary hypertension 

Treatment 

He will be on lifetime medication, pimobendan to be taken daily as well as furosemide when the cough gets worse. Medication will be adjusted on how well his body is reacting to it as we monitor his progression and with follow-up echos (1month from the 1st and following once every 3-6 months).

Currently, we are also adding in grain inclusive kibble in his meals to help counter the suspected DCM, which could be diet-associated that has been causing the weakening of the heart muscles. Eventually with careful diet, exercise and medication we hope to help him live more happily and comfortably.

What to take note/I realized or notice 

We have to pay more attention to his breathing rate when he’s at rest to make sure his heart isn’t overworking (If it is, probably need to adjust med), Coughing frequency (if it got worst or not), he might lose appetite just have to take note of that too, making sure to not overload him with too much walk.

After the diagnosis then I became more attentive to what are the little things that changed. Thinking of it I realized, in the past sometimes he would suddenly stand up from his nap/from resting and started panting. But when he goes back to sleep/lies down he stops panting. 

Now that he eats treats/chew that requires more work to bite he would pant afterward. 

Would appreciate it if you could share with us any similar experience you have and what we can do to help make a dog with heart disease live more comfortably. THANK YOU! 🙂

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What Is It Like To Be A Young Dog Owner

Hello again! Realized that I didn’t introduce myself in the first article, so here’s a brief introduction about us! I’m Deslyn, still studying and I have adopted Dusty from SOSD on 25th July 2019.

For students who are graduating and considering getting a pet (dog, but not excluding other pets), please give a thorough thought about it. 🙂

Let me begin by asking you a few questions.
Why do you want a dog? 
Are you capable of owning one?
What kind of behavioural traits or temperament dog are you looking for? 

170819 Officially Adopted

I’ve always liked and wanted a dog and I decided to have one because I wanted it as a companion and wanted to experience something different in life. As mentioned, I adopted Dusty last year when I was 21 years old. The process of finding THAT dog was not fast and easy, it took many months and effort in finding and emailing before meeting up with it. 

(1) What did I consider before making the decision? 

As mentioned in my previous article, knowing when is the right time to get a dog is important. 

  • At this age as young adults, we have yet to know what lies ahead of us. Personally, as a student who works pt, I have the extra time and cash to settle the dog before graduation. Also, I don’t travel much and won’t be out for long hours, so it’s not a concern about not having enough time for it now and in the future (as I have already know what I want to do).
  • With my family’s lifestyle and situation, I was looking for a low energy, independent, and grass trained dog. Which was why I adopted Dusty. 
Resisting to follow on his walk

(2) What do I have to prepare before it comes over?

Getting my first dog, I was very panicky and clueless on what to prepare before he comes over: necessities and food. 

  • Here are some of the necessities: bowl, collar/harness, leash, shampoo, and playpen. When getting a collar, harness and leash do make sure you get durable ones as you want to prevent your dog from escaping or from it breaking easily.
    For x1 of each item, it may cost between $100 (for acceptable and sturdy ones) to a few hundred depending on the brands.
  • Also, look up on what kind of diet you want to give your dog(of course, seek advice from your vet if necessary).

    Here are some of the diets: kibble(dry), canned, home-cooked, raw, and freeze-dried. Whatever diet you choose for your dog, do your research on the good brands and the different nutrients required for your dog. Make sure what they consume is a well-balanced and nutritional meal. 

    For Dusty a medium-sized dog, it will cost me about $100 – $250 (depends on your dog’s size and the type of diet). It will definitely cost more including supplements and treats.

(Do take note of what other preparation is needed for each of the diets as well.)

For Dusty, he takes home-cooked food (~$100 excluding supplements and treats). In the beginning, I didn’t know the importance and thought it was okay to give him a single protein diet until @theroyaltail guided me on what is missing to make it a more nutritional and balanced meal. The meal prepping is tiring, it takes me about 4-6 hours to prepare 1 month’s worth of meal. From cutting/grinding about 11.5kg meat to weighing the daily portion needed of different proteins and keeping it in the fridge. 

1 month’s worth

(3) What did I not expect after having a dog?

Having a dog is like having a toddler. Why? 

  • Indeed, they do not need constant attention (depending on the dog’s age and needs) but they do need our help to get through their daily needs, mainly walks and mealtimes. 
  • It seems like an easy and fast task but think about it, you are not doing this for days or weeks but years. There’s no off days or MCs, it’s a long-term and daily commitment of waking up early, meal prepping, walks, training, etc. 

No matter how tired, sian, or lazy you feel before and after school/work you got to walk and feed it. You have to always plan ahead of time.

OTW to training

(4) What I want to tell people around my age who are considering getting a dog?

Responsibility, time, and money mentioned are important especially at our age. It’s where we learn to manage our time, finance, and independence. 

  • We don’t want what lies ahead of us in the future makes us care less for them and we don’t want them to hinder us from what we want to do in the future. So know what you want and what you can cope with. 
  • Don’t get a dog just because you want it and have the luxury of time in that phase of your life. And end up not doing and pushing all your dog’s daily necessary routines to your parents. 
  • Money, if you don’t have a source of income (not from parents) or the capability to support yourself daily (not from parents), then reconsider your options. Don’t make the dog a burden to you and your family. Maybe it’s not the right time yet.

You can always consider volunteering or fostering, in which some shelters or AWG do provide the necessities for the dog. Not only can you get to experience what it’s like to have a dog but at the same time, you will know if you are up for this game for the next 10 years.

Graduated from Project Adore

To all youngsters and young adults, carefully think and consider your capabilities and your future before making this long-term commitment and promise. 

If you think you are ready to get a dog, get prepared and all the best! 
If you think it’s not the right time, focus on what you need to do first, the right time will eventually come!

Thank you for reading this article and have a great day! 

Cheers 🙂
xoxo 

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Community Stories

When is the right time to get a dog?

I have always liked dogs and wanted one but I knew I wasn’t ready for all the commitment: monetary, time and mentally when I was younger. 

  1. Commitment: Monetary and Time 

I’d say what most, obviously myself do not expect is the amount of time and effort needed to put into having a dog. 
What I thought was simple: 
Money for food, necessities, treats of course, grooming and vet.
Time to feed, to walk, to bathe and to train. 
Be mentally prepared for all these to be a norm once you have a dog.

But what I didn’t think enough was how exactly and how much time and how much you need to compromise with your own time/schedule (depending on what age/temperament of your dog).

  • I had to, as much as possible settle Dusty’s needs before my own if it could be put on hold as I do not want to bother my family even if had to travel more and rush, I would do it myself. 
  • Training wasn’t something that I thought was needed or necessary other than Project Adore Obedience Training. What I had in mind was providing the dog a comfortable life, under a roof with fresh food and walks >= x2 daily.

    But training is also important in my opinion, to improve both our lives as we coexist under one roof and to set boundaries. Not only that but also be a responsible dog owner and not cause unnecessary problems to people living around us. 
  • Vet visits are definitely a need for annual vaccination and check ups but other than that it depends on your dog’s health. Money has to be set aside for emergency and I’d say always prepare for the worst (a bit kiasi).

    You could also look up into buying pet insurance for your pet as it will help ease the vet bills if anything were to happen. 

At the end of 2018(when I was 20), I knew I was ready for the commitments and started looking up on all the shelters I could find through web and social medias. It took much consideration and courage to finally take the first step in filling up an adoption application.

  1. Picking the RIGHT dog, not what you want but what you can handle with you and your family’s lifestyle. 

Of course including us, we wanted the nicest, cutest, and a fun dog.
But I knew that wasn’t the right way to look for one.

  • Are you active or more laid-back and chill? 
    I know my family and I wasn’t that active, so I decided that a lower energy dog will fit perfectly into my family. DON’T pick a dog that fits a lifestyle that you aspire to have. But pick one that fits your current lifestyle and work towards it. 
  • Who will be living together with the dog? 
    Make sure everyone in the family as well as the dog is okay with one another, especially if you have kids and the elderly in the house. 
  • Is the dog skittish/shy or aggressive/fearful?
    If the dog that you pick has any of these behaviours, just get ready to have to spend more time and (maybe) money to help your dog gain the confidence and to improve. 

Slightly more than a year of having Dusty with us, I wish I did know more (experience wise) about dog handling. 

  1. Get experience on how to handle a dog. 

Before adopting, what goes through my mind was what’s so difficult about having a dog? It just has to eat, sleep, bathe, walk, shit and pee. Thinking of it is so easy than having to experience it not for one or two days but till the end of their lives it’s a different aspect. 

  • Get a first hand experience as a volunteer or fosterer on how and what is it like to handle not just good and easy dogs but also skittish, shy, fearful and aggressive dogs. And from there you know what kind of dogs you can handle and live with for the next 10-15 years.
  • Reach out to dog owners and get to know more about their experiences with their dog.

So this sums up my thoughts on what I wish I had known.
Hope it was insightful for those who are planning on getting your first dog but is still unsure on what to expect! 

Do share with us your concerns or any experiences that you didn’t see coming with your first dog in the comments below! So that we can learn or at least have an idea on what to do if something similar happens to any of us! 🙂