Tanner is (at least) an 11-year-old Shepard mix who has been heinously neglected for many years. Not mine; he belongs to someone where I live. He has licked one of his paws down to raw bone, and the vet says there's nothing medical wrong in there - "It's behavioral."
I'm seeking alternative care, behavior modification, pet-intuitive support... What are your suggestions?
-Abigail
ladybug5
06-23-2013, 10:49 PM
Dear Abigail:
Thank you for taking the time to ask about this and trying to help Tanner.. The problem is that he is
neglected and or stressed. He is probably depressed. Dogs lick themselves to comfort themselves.
Tanner needs more mental and physical activity. He also needs to feel he belongs to someone.
Do you know more about the reasons for the neglect? First I would try talking to your neighbor
and letting him know that Tanner really needs more. Is the owner too busy, depressed himself or just
doesn't care? After you determine the reason the owner isn't caring for his dog you can take action..
If the owner is too busy or has his own issues... perhaps he can higher a dog walker. Maybe a
neighborhood kid will walk him. Can a neighbor dog come to visit? (This would probably have to be
set up with some help from you)
If the issue is that the owner is a heartless brute then please help Tanner find a new home.
Get Tanner's picture and post it on Waccobb and I bet there will be some Wacconians who would
open their homes and hearts to this poor guy. If the neighbor refuses to help Tanner, then call
animal control. Their number is 565-7100.
Please get back to Wacco about this.. Bless you.
Jody Tucker
Good Days Doggie Training and Care
gooddays.biz
Tanner is (at least) an 11-year-old Shepard mix who has been heinously neglected for many years. Not mine; he belongs to someone where I live. He has licked one of his paws down to raw bone, and the vet says there's nothing medical wrong in there - "It's behavioral."
I'm seeking alternative care, behavior modification, pet-intuitive support... What are your suggestions?
-Abigail
Gene
06-24-2013, 06:54 PM
Ladybug has a great plan I second what she posted. In addition you might try putting a bitter tasting salve on his paw and he should start to relate the licking to the awful taste. Good Luck and thank you for looking out for the pooch. Gene.
AbigailFerris
06-25-2013, 04:13 PM
Many thanks to all of you who have replied and offered your compassionate support. For clarification, I should fill in a few blanks.
I live at the same house as Tanner and his inhumane human, temporarily. This person has a long history of self-, pet-, and home-neglect fueled by addiction. My wish is to find a place where my two kitties, Tanner and I can live peacefully and affordably. Until then, I would like to do what I can to make what time Tanner has left as happy as possible.
He has been left outside or in the garage all of his life, suffers from arthritis in his hips (unrelated to the licking behavior according to Pet Care) and still has a darling, sweet, lovable disposition. He's just lonely. And, I sense that he knows he's been unwanted for a long time, until I arrived here a few months ago.
I'm open to any and all solutions, including places for us to live with an arrangement to trade my gardening, housekeeping, administrative and cooking skills for partial rent. I'm happy to send a resume and references.
Please keep the encouragement coming!!
Warmly,
Abbi
Dear Abigail:
Thank you for taking the time to ask about this and trying to help Tanner.. The problem is that he is
neglected and or stressed. He is probably depressed. Dogs lick themselves to comfort themselves.
Tanner needs more mental and physical activity. He also needs to feel he belongs to someone.
Do you know more about the reasons for the neglect? First I would try talking to your neighbor
and letting him know that Tanner really needs more. Is the owner too busy, depressed himself or just
doesn't care? After you determine the reason the owner isn't caring for his dog you can take action..
If the owner is too busy or has his own issues... perhaps he can higher a dog walker. Maybe a
neighborhood kid will walk him. Can a neighbor dog come to visit? (This would probably have to be
set up with some help from you)
If the issue is that the owner is a heartless brute then please help Tanner find a new home.
Get Tanner's picture and post it on Waccobb and I bet there will be some Wacconians who would
open their homes and hearts to this poor guy. If the neighbor refuses to help Tanner, then call
animal control. Their number is 565-7100.
Please get back to Wacco about this.. Bless you.
Jody Tucker
Good Days Doggie Training and Care
gooddays.biz
AbigailFerris
06-25-2013, 04:16 PM
OH, another good idea!!! Thanks, Gene.
What's a safe, yet nasty-tasting salve product that would do the trick? Anybody have something?
Ladybug has a great plan I second what she posted. In addition you might try putting a bitter tasting salve on his paw and he should start to relate the licking to the awful taste. Good Luck and thank you for looking out for the pooch. Gene.
santoshimatajaya
06-25-2013, 08:37 PM
yes, I understand the reason for the bitter tasting salve,
tho I believe there is something this dog is upset by/about,
that his licking is a symptom of. for whatever is bothering him,
he needs an outlet. of course licking to the point of destroying his paws
is not going to benefit him, yet he has an outlet for his upset this way.
if he is forced to stop that, he will find another. so to me, a deeper
view of what is at the root of his upset is necessary. you may want to
find an animal/dog intuitive, who can communicate, pick up from the dog
what is trouibling him. I wish the best for this being, thank you for serving
on/in his behalf :heart::heart:
Ladybug has a great plan I second what she posted. In addition you might try putting a bitter tasting salve on his paw and he should start to relate the licking to the awful taste. Good Luck and thank you for looking out for the pooch. Gene.
ladybug5
06-25-2013, 09:14 PM
22685
What's troubling him is that he is lonely, bored, depressed. After awhile, the paw licking becomes a habit.
You are right about needing a substitute for this behavior.. Try stuffing a Kong (hard rubber toy with an opening in one side) with yummy chicken and rice or other healthy food. Freeze the stuffed Kong so he has to work at getting it. Dogs love to work, especially shepherds which are a working breed..
Giving him lots of mental and physical stimulation would help a lot.
A great game to play is "find it". Show Tanner the treat, go in another room and hide the treat. Then tell Tanner to "find it". (No peeking Tanner!) Make it really easy and obvious to find at first until he gets the hang of it. Gradually make it more challenging. Make sure you do it with a yummy stinky treat at first.
Eventually you can do this with his toys or other objects.
Thanks for taking care of him Abigail... and good luck finding a home where you and Tanner feel at
peace.
Jody
Good Days Doggy Training and Care
gooddays.biz
AbigailFerris
06-28-2013, 10:47 PM
Here's the latest: I picked up a Kong toy; now I have to figure out how to stuff it. Pastry bag, maybe, for peanut butter?
I've started walking Tanner first thing in the morning, to try and work up his appetite a bit. He seems to like that. Meanwhile, the owner was eavesdropping on a phone conversation I had during the week about the whole situation, and has become very possessive and defensive toward me, telling me not to feed Tanner any more. Prior to this, he encouraged our bond, and referred to me as Tanner's "mommy".
Meanwhile, a friend said shedidn’t think there was anything wrong with Tanner when she had been here amonth ago. This evening she was tellingme about a dog she’d had in Texas that was well-loved and had plenty of attentionand was treated as part of the family for years…. And this dog licked until shegave herself open wounds, like Tanner. Said they tried everything under the sun, and couldn’t get Molly to stoplicking. Her sister found some randominformation that said some dogs just do that…? <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>
And, she also says it’s his house, and it’s his dog. Basically, it's none of my business. So, am I over-reacting?<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>
I’d beinterested in some honest feedback about this.
thanks,
Abigail
I'm having a challenge with the font settings on this editor. Not sure what's up? Maybe because I copied & pasted some of it from a Word draft? Sorry.
Ladybug has a great plan I second what she posted. In addition you might try putting a bitter tasting salve on his paw and he should start to relate the licking to the awful taste. Good Luck and thank you for looking out for the pooch. Gene.
rossmen
06-29-2013, 10:37 PM
you are in a tough situation. can you let it go? your home, the landowners dog, your love in action and grace, we are given challenges in life, how will you meet them? please trust that your relations with tanner have contributed to both of your lives...
Here's the latest: I picked up a Kong toy; now I have to figure out how to stuff it. Pastry bag, maybe, for peanut butter?
I've started walking Tanner first thing in the morning, to try and work up his appetite a bit. He seems to likerelation that. Meanwhile, the owner was eavesdropping on a phone conversation I had during the week about the whole situation, and has become very possessive and defensive toward me, telling me not to feed Tanner any more. Prior to this, he encouraged our bond, and referred to me as Tanner's "mommy".
Meanwhile, a friend said shedidn’t think there was anything wrong with Tanner when she had been here amonth ago. This evening she was tellingme about a dog she’d had in Texas that was well-loved and had plenty of attentionand was treated as part of the family for years…. And this dog licked until shegave herself open wounds, like Tanner. Said they tried everything under the sun, and couldn’t get Molly to stoplicking. Her sister found some randominformation that said some dogs just do that…? <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>
And, she also says it’s his house, and it’s his dog. Basically, it's none of my business. So, am I over-reacting?<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>
I’d beinterested in some honest feedback about this.
thanks,
Abigail
I'm having a challenge with the font settings on this editor. Not sure what's up? Maybe because I copied & pasted some of it from a Word draft? Sorry.
AbigailFerris
07-05-2013, 10:21 AM
Tanner LOVES his Kong, as you'll see in the attached photo. We also got him some large, fresh femur bones, the first of which promptly disappeared when his owner turned his back for 5 minutes. We think it's buried somewhere in the yard...rascal!
He's getting homemade dog food (veggies, rice, ground beef) mixed with his store-bought stuff, and eating heartily after his newly-introduced morning walks. Owner sometimes walks him in the evenings. And, he's at his first grooming appointment in many years this very morning :):
Tanner seems to respond to the extra attention and stimulation (briefly), but still defaults to licking his paw after a while. You can also see the wound on the attached photo.
The BIG news is I have finally obtained a full time job, after an extended period of "self-un-employment" (separate story). It's a blessing; however, once I start on July 23rd, I won't be able to give Tanner all the attention I would like, and that he clearly needs.
Ideas?
Thanks again to all those who have posted kind and compassionate comments!
-Abigail
you are in a tough situation. can you let it go? your home, the landowners dog, your love in action and grace, we are given challenges in life, how will you meet them? please trust that your relations with tanner have contributed to both of your lives...
ladybug5
07-05-2013, 03:19 PM
He looks pretty happy with that kong.... ! Since that works so well, you might consider putting Tanner's
daily ration of his yummy food into frozen Kongs and give them his meals that way. Not only are
you distracting him from his obsessive paw chewing by giving him something else to focus on, you
are making him work for his food. Dogs love to have a job.
As far as you working, I wouldn't worry too much. A short walk in the morning and then his Kongs
will help pass the day nicely.
Please post a picture of him after grooming.
Regards,
Jody Tucker
Good Days, Doggie Training and Care
gooddays.biz
Tanner LOVES his Kong, as you'll see in the attached photo. We also got him some large, fresh femur bones, the first of which promptly disappeared when his owner turned his back for 5 minutes. We think it's buried somewhere in the yard...rascal!.........l
AbigailFerris
07-08-2013, 09:02 AM
Tanner went to the beauty salon for some pampering on Friday, and he feels like a new man! Today will be his second full day, "sans cone"...no silly plastic lampshade-looking thing around his neck to keep him from licking.
The missing femur bone resurfaced over the weekend, and he's been busy with that, in addition to a great big new rawhide chew bone. He seems much more confident. In fact, his (other) human said to me this morning, "Tanner is content. You know why? Because he knows he has an advocate." He thanked me and gave me a hug.
He's eating fresh veggies, brown rice, chicken, ground beef, pumpkin, and eggs in various combinations...and he sends a big, hearty "Thank you" to everybody who made these fabulous suggestions for menu improvements :)
See the cool new summer look and his dish after this morning's breakfast attached.
Gratefully,
Abigail
Tanner LOVES his Kong, as you'll see in the attached photo. We also got him some large, fresh femur bones, the first of which promptly disappeared when his owner turned his back for 5 minutes. We think it's buried somewhere in the yard...rascal!
He's getting homemade dog food (veggies, rice, ground beef) mixed with his store-bought stuff, and eating heartily after his newly-introduced morning walks. Owner sometimes walks him in the evenings. And, he's at his first grooming appointment in many years this very morning :):
Tanner seems to respond to the extra attention and stimulation (briefly), but still defaults to licking his paw after a while. You can also see the wound on the attached photo.
The BIG news is I have finally obtained a full time job, after an extended period of "self-un-employment" (separate story). It's a blessing; however, once I start on July 23rd, I won't be able to give Tanner all the attention I would like, and that he clearly needs.
Ideas?
Thanks again to all those who have posted kind and compassionate comments!