My heart.... 😍🥰

[onamom]

So cute! Congrats on the new baby! I’m a huge dog lover and have 3. Sadly I lost my 4th in January He’s the one of the right, Bently. Next to him is Otis, 14, and Sheba, 15. Then lastly Rizz, my rescue boy I’ve had for a year now and he’s 3.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Spike is my first with a short snoot I'm not used to the panting and other random noises. Thankfully I've worked in a few kennels so I'm familiar with Frenchies and I'm not thinking he's sick every time he grunts but definitely a new experience.

Growing up, my family had beagles. My Seymour was half Scotty, part Chihuahua part rat terrier. And all the various farm dogs I've had or fostered had nice long noses also(well, I fostered the pit bull so I guess she didn't have a "long" nose, but longer than Spikes)

Spike is definitely gonna be a chow hound and always looking for something tasty, but I have plenty of experience with that from the beagles I don't have an air conditioner in the cabin. It's half dug into the hillside so naturally cooler than outside, and I run fans, so in previous years I've just kinda dealt with it during the few weeks when it gets *really* hot, but with Mr Spike... I can't put a fan on him? At the kennels whenever we'd bath a short snoot dog they couldn't be fan dried, they had to just dry natural because of their breathing. ... Do I need to get an A/C? I'm ok with that, and have been thinking about it, but no decision yet. My cabin is small, and A/C units are *loud*

He has SO MUCH more energy after getting the first dose of worm medicine yesterday. Two more doses to give him. He got a few licks of my coffee yesterday and I thought that's why he was running up all the walls, but today he's also a little monster so maybe this is just how he acts when he isn't having his nutrition and energy stole away by nasty parasites

 

[DonnaBudgie]

From what I know about short snout dogs and heat, I'd get AC. They can't handle heat like other dogs. I'd also be very careful with the treats. Obesity is a huge problem for these types of dogs.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Yes so far I've only given him his puppy chow and a few very tiny pieces of a pup per oni stick. Maybe have total given him an inch or so of the stick, over the entire two weeks he's been here. Also gave him a few licks of plain non fat yogurt, after he helped himself to some kibble I left out for the wildcats and had an upset stomach. He's also found random farm things to nibble on but that's just gonna be part of life for him on a farm to some extent. Planning to probably switch him to a raw diet soon, but puppy chow is what his "breeder" was feeding him(not an on purpose litter). I know I will need to watch his weight. That's what I meant when I said I had experience with that with the beagles. Lol and they would pull all kinds of tricks to get at food. Barking like they needed to go potty, you get up to go let them out, they double back and eat your dinner was one that several learned

Spike is always trying to get to my food, but hasn't succeeded yet other than my coffee he got a few licks of(I put quite a bit of half n half when I have it, so it wasn't pure black coffee thankfully)

I'll probably pick up an AC, and just run it when I need to. Most of the time it's extremely pleasant in my cabin, like how a cave is naturally cooled by the earth around it. But in the height of summer, afternoons can definitely get unpleasantly warm.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I've never had a dog or cat due to my allergies and asthma but I love animals and everyone I know seems to have them!

IF I had a dog or a cat, I don't think I would feed them commercially available pet food. I would find vet approved recipes for cooking them food like I prepare and cook Chop for my birds. I'd make batches of human grade dog and cat food, freeze it in ziplock bags and give them different meals, rotating the recipes, so they can enjoy their food like we enjoy ours while maintaining their nutrient intake and ideal weight. Why don't more people do this? Cooking a big batch once a month can't be too much trouble.

 

[rheashard2]

I had a short snout, (Boston terrier) for 17+ years. They're not heat tolerant and can be prone to allergies. I didn't and still don't like cool temps. If indoor temps were above 75° he'd sleep or lay in bath tub. I learned from vet this was probable reason.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I have no idea how I'm gonna worm the two wildcats... any ideas?

Wormer in wet cat food. Mix well. Or the pureed cat treats in those plastic bag-like containers. They're lickable treats that you can empty out on a plate .

 

[rheashard2]

Any moist food or treat mix  very well. That works for most. Sometimes a very fastidious individual will ignore it for awhile. Don't feed other treats or food.

 

[bug_n_flock]

The wildcats don't like eggs I was surprised to discover, so I'll have to order some canned food for them to try using that method.

I've also noticed Spike has puppy acne. He's had one pimple on his forehead most of the time he's been here, and I noticed one on his neck also just last night. Definitely not a tick. Hoping when I get him off the processed food some of that will clear up. I got a much larger bag of puppy chow than I should have tho, so for now he's still eating that even tho his new home stomach upset is long gone by now. I think it's like a 15 lb bag I'm not looking at it right now. And he's not a big pup by any stretch

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I didn't know puppies get acne!