Roxie to date

So. Roxie. She is nigh-on almost perfect. I had wanted a big dog, and definitely got big dog attitude in my little dog (be careful what you wish for!!) In the condo she is great - she is quiet (unless there is someone in the hallway). She is completely house trained. I love her. She loves to play fetch with a tennis ball. She has no resource guarding issues with people. I can take her food and toys away from her at any time. She rides well in a car - if you don't tell her otherwise, she will immediately go into the back window of the car and lay down. She knows "sit", and I have taught her "leave it". She walks pretty well on a leash, as long as there are no distractions. Whenever we go out, she wears a backpack. This has 2 purposes - by carrying weight she is working harder on her walk, and it keeps her a bit more focused on the walk (she has a "job").

Ahh, distractions. There are so many. Squirrels, for example. Apparently Roxie is aware of a terrorist plot by the squirrels, and feels strongly that they must be eliminated. Squirrels really get her going. Oddly, so do seagulls (but not other birds). And dogs. Oh lordy I dread coming across dogs when we are out walking. Let me clearly state that Roxie is not dog agressive - I would say she was not properly socialized as a puppy. When she sees another dog, she really really wants to go meet them. To the point she will choke herself on her collar. If I don't let her near the dog, she starts to bark. A lot. Very embarrassing. If I do let her near the other dog, she charges right up to them (absolutely no manners), does the polite bum sniffing thing. Then most of the time she loses interest and would like to continue walking. If I stop to chat with the other person, she will eventually start to bark. Some dogs, she has issues with. And being the dominant dog she is, she will usually snap in the face of the other dog after the mutual bum sniffing. Now, I know that is just dominance behaviour, but most other dog owners don't seem to know this and freak out a bit.

Roxie had her first vet visit about a week after I got her. You get a free vet checkup when you adopt an animal from the SPCA. And I had noticed that a bit of her spay scar seemed infected, and her lower lip on the right side was inflamed looking. I couldn't see a cut on it, but Roxie didn't really want me looking at it. So in we went to McKenzie Vet Clinic. Roxie weights just under 12 lbs, and overall is healthy. She is a bit underweight, but regular meals will help with that. So about a quarter inch of her spay scar definitely was infected, and the swollen lip is a sign of allergies. Once the vet asked, I did recall that she spent a fair amount of time scratching. He also found small pimple-like bumps on her stomach that are also a sign of allergies - comes out as a skin infection. When she was spayed through the shelter, the vet that did it noted that she has combination yeast/bacterial ear infections and put her on Surolan. He said the ears looked like she has reoccuring ear infections. My research (and my new vet) both told me that ear problems can also be due to food allergies. So Roxie left her vet appointment with antibiotics, Epi-Otic, and instructions to avoid food/treats with grain, chicken, or beef (the 3 most common alergens). Vet also said it takes about 3 months to clear the allergen out of her system, so if I give her even a treat containing those things, it resets the clock.

Thankfully when I got Roxie I asked around about food, and decided to put her on raw. I buy Natures Variety from Your Pet Pals and I feed her the lamb. So having switched her food before the vet visit, I was heading in the right direction about her allergies, but I didn't think of treats. Amazing what many of them are made of.