# Otto Update- Need health advice



## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

Hi all, I am so rarely on here as I can never get this website to work on my phone and am not at my computer that often. I came looking for advice from all of you more experienced pet parents. Otto is almost 10 months old. After noticing that he doesn't like to have his back paws wiped after a walk, I was told in December or January that he has Luxating Patellas in both back legs, the right one worse than the left. Now yesterday after blood tests and X-rays because he would run around and once in a while cry out and not put weight on his back leg I was told, not only does he have Luxating Patellas (confirmed by a second vet) but Hip Dysplasia and arthritis in his left hip. I am so sad. He's so young and we certainly didn't expect to have to deal with health issues like this so soon. He has been taking half a tablet of Dasaquin since the original diagnosis and now he is taking Meloxicam dosed for his 8lb weight as well. The Vet said that we should see an orthopedist and gave me the name of the one she recommends in NYC. I am sure that will cost $$, but I'll do it. I called his breeder yesterday after I found out and she said she hadn't heard this from others in his litter, but she was out and said would call me back. The Vet said it is a genetic thing. She said I have to be careful that he doesn't gain too much weight, which should be easy enough as he hates to eat! Have any of you had any experience with this in such a young puppy? Any advice or ideas on what to do for him? I am curious if any other puppies got this at such a young age and how it affected them as they got older. I just hate that he is in pain and want him to be able to run around and play as a puppy should. For any new pet parents reading this, I HIGHLY recommend pet insurance. Granted I live right outside NYC and everything is expensive here, but the $ I have spent in 10 months would be nuts if I didn't get much of it paid back. Thanks.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I am so sorry to hear about poor Otto! Many dogs have luxating patellas and if mild live their entire lives without surgery. They can be fixed by surgery if they get more severe. But arthritis and hip dysplasia In such a young dog? I would try not to freak out until you see an orthopedist. I think it is common for vets to say everything is arthritis if they cannot find a cause. Not sure if a regular vet can diagnose hip dysplasia but I would see what the orthopedist says. Hang in there!


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

Poor Otto - he looks like such a cutie 😞 I know that when I was talking with one of our vets about this (_mild _luxating patella) and told him I was trying out Glucosamine supplements on Flo (which I had to give up with as she wouldn’t eat it even sprinkled into her food😡) I was expecting him to tell me they were a load of old rubbish BUT instead he said he used them with his elderly dog back home who was getting slowed down in her old age (he is not from England) and he said when he goes back to visit her the transformation in her movement is very noticeable🥳. I believe they take a while to build up and with all supplements I guess it’s worth checking with your vet first that Otto is ok to take them. But the reviews I read (it was a brand called Yumove) and my vet‘s own experience were positive...which makes it even more irritating that Flo can sniff them out but never mind😘. Best of luck! X


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am so sorry to hear about poor Otto! Many dogs have luxating patellas and if mild live their entire lives without surgery. They can be fixed by surgery if they get more severe. But arthritis and hip dysplasia In such a young dog? I would try not to freak out until you see an orthopedist. I think it is common for vets to say everything is arthritis if they cannot find a cause. Not sure if a regular vet can diagnose hip dysplasia but I would see what the orthopedist says. Hang in there!



I agree with everything Mudpuppymama just wrote. Hip dysplasia is dx'd with X-rays, so unless that was done, it cannot be diagnosed without it. Luxating patellas is a shame, but many dogs live with it without needing intervention if it's mild, and it can be repaired if it is severe. (thank goodness you have insurance!!!) 

Both conditions ARE heritable, but they can skip generations, and the method of inheritance is not at all clear. Good breeders do their best to weed dogs out of the breeding pool if they have these problems themselves or are known to produce these problems. But it is still, unfortunately, possible for it to show. Genetics are ALWAYS a roll of the dice.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

GoWithTheFlo said:


> Poor Otto - he looks like such a cutie 😞 I know that when I was talking with one of our vets about this (_mild _luxating patella) and told him I was trying out Glucosamine supplements on Flo (which I had to give up with as she wouldn’t eat it even sprinkled into her food😡) I was expecting him to tell me they were a load of old rubbish BUT instead he said he used them with his elderly dog back home who was getting slowed down in her old age (he is not from England) and he said when he goes back to visit her the transformation in her movement is very noticeable🥳. I believe they take a while to build up and with all supplements I guess it’s worth checking with your vet first that Otto is ok to take them. But the reviews I read (it was a brand called Yumove) and my vet‘s own experience were positive...which makes it even more irritating that Flo can sniff them out but never mind😘. Best of luck! X


Both of my performance dogs get glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements regularly, even though neither had any arthritic problem up until Kodi injured his shoulder last year. (even that is soft tissue, not arthritis!) My vet, who is my regular vet, but also a sports medicine specialist recommends it for all dogs who are very active physically, and also for all who have physical "challenges".


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

I think she did say Otto had x-rays to diagnose hip dysplasia. I’m sorry. This is very upsetting for such a young dog


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Woods said:


> I think she did say Otto had x-rays to diagnose hip dysplasia. I’m sorry. This is very upsetting for such a young dog


OK, sorry, I missed that. It is, for sure, very upsetting for all concerned! 💗


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

GoWithTheFlo said:


> Poor Otto - he looks like such a cutie 😞 I know that when I was talking with one of our vets about this (_mild _luxating patella) and told him I was trying out Glucosamine supplements on Flo (which I had to give up with as she wouldn’t eat it even sprinkled into her food😡) I was expecting him to tell me they were a load of old rubbish BUT instead he said he used them with his elderly dog back home who was getting slowed down in her old age (he is not from England) and he said when he goes back to visit her the transformation in her movement is very noticeable🥳. I believe they take a while to build up and with all supplements I guess it’s worth checking with your vet first that Otto is ok to take them. But the reviews I read (it was a brand called Yumove) and my vet‘s own experience were positive...which makes it even more irritating that Flo can sniff them out but never mind😘. Best of luck! X


The Dasaquin tablets that the Vet gave me are Glucosamine, so that's good to hear. He HATES taking them, but I have had some luck lately sneaking them crushed up into his food. I give it at night when he is hungry...


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

Melissa Woods said:


> I think she did say Otto had x-rays to diagnose hip dysplasia. I’m sorry. This is very upsetting for such a young dog


Yes, X-rays were taken on Friday and sent out to a Radiologist to read. Confirmed yesterday.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I am very sorry to hear about Otto. I know some people believe that green lipped mussel can be helpful for joint problems. I believe green lipped mussel is found in some joint supplements like Glyoflex and they do make some green lipped mussel powder supplements like Super Snouts. I cannot speak to this myself but thought I would throw it out there to ask your vet about.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am very sorry to hear about Otto. I know some people believe that green lipped mussel can be helpful for joint problems. I believe green lipped mussel is found in some joint supplements like Glyoflex and they do make some green lipped mussel powder supplements like Super Snouts. I cannot speak to this myself but thought I would throw it out there to ask your vet about.


Glycoflex II is made from green lipped mussels. This is the one we use, as the regular Glycoflex is made from bovine trachea, like most glucosamine supplements, and Kodi can't have beef. But they both work. Same stuff just derived from different animals.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Wishing all the best for Otto as you navigate these health issues. It is so upsetting to see our dogs in pain.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Glycoflex II is made from green lipped mussels. This is the one we use, as the regular Glycoflex is made from bovine trachea, like most glucosamine supplements, and Kodi can't have beef. But they both work. Same stuff just derived from different animals.


I am glad this works for Kodi. I know he has fish allergies but I guess green lipped mussels are not really fish! I did try a single ingredient supplement containing green lipped mussel only on mine and this caused digestive upset in Mia. However, my yorkie tolerates is well.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Otto is just adorable! I'm sorry your little one is having some orthopedic issues. Scout had surgery on both legs for luxating patellas, ruptured ACL's and a torn meniscus three years ago. The most difficult part of his recovery was having to be crated or on a leash next to us for eight weeks TWICE. He had not been crated trained.  Scout completely recovered. We were also fortunate to have health insurance.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

removed


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am very sorry to hear about Otto. I know some people believe that green lipped mussel can be helpful for joint problems. I believe green lipped mussel is found in some joint supplements like Glyoflex and they do make some green lipped mussel powder supplements like Super Snouts. I cannot speak to this myself but thought I would throw it out there to ask your vet about.


That’s interesting. I have been giving him a topper that has that in it, it says it’s to help with joint support. He eats it pretty willingly so I will continue that. Thank you!!


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

Heather's said:


> Otto is just adorable! I'm sorry your little one is having some orthopedic issues. Scout had surgery on both legs for luxating patellas, ruptured ACL's and a torn meniscus three years ago. The most difficult part of his recovery was having to be crated or on a leash next to us for eight weeks TWICE. He had not been crated trained.  Scout completely recovered. We were also fortunate to have health insurance.


Oh wow, that sounds so hard!! I am so glad that Scout has recovered completely. That gives me hope! Thanks!!


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

Connected with his breeder and she is sending me some supplements to try. She said no stairs, jumping, etc. He has pet stairs to get on the couch as the trainer said that was better for him but he likes to jump off the couch (it’s not that high) rather than go down them. We took the stairs away and he can still jump up onto the couch if he wants to. I have no idea how I would get him to not jump off the couch. He is fearless with that. Limiting the stairs is easy enough because we put baby gates at all of the staircases. I more often carry him up and down the stairs anyway because he doesn’t love them. Hoping all of that helps. 🤞🏼

Totally off topic but I am so glad that the new format of this site seems to work on my phone! Now I can read posts here more often!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am glad this works for Kodi. I know he has fish allergies but I guess green lipped mussels are not really fish! I did try a single ingredient supplement containing green lipped mussel only on mine and this caused digestive upset in Mia. However, my yorkie tolerates is well.


Yes, not fish, so it’s fine for him.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

stephsu said:


> Connected with his breeder and she is sending me some supplements to try. She said no stairs, jumping, etc. He has pet stairs to get on the couch as the trainer said that was better for him but he likes to jump off the couch (it’s not that high) rather than go down them. We took the stairs away and he can still jump up onto the couch if he wants to. I have no idea how I would get him to not jump off the couch. He is fearless with that. Limiting the stairs is easy enough because we put baby gates at all of the staircases. I more often carry him up and down the stairs anyway because he doesn’t love them. Hoping all of that helps. 🤞🏼
> 
> Totally off topic but I am so glad that the new format of this site seems to work on my phone! Now I can read posts here more often!


We block the sofa by simply putting the cushions on their side at an angle when not sitting there. This makes it so there is no real place for the dog to lay. Some jumpers may still jump on the arm though. You may have to get more creative If he does that.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Yes, not fish, so it’s fine for him.


Ahhh that is great. This seems to be the only thing I have found that sets off Mia’s digestion. I had a supplement with GLM and other ingredients and could not tell which thing was upsetting her so I bought plain old GLM and that was it.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

stephsu said:


> Connected with his breeder and she is sending me some supplements to try. She said no stairs, jumping, etc. He has pet stairs to get on the couch as the trainer said that was better for him but he likes to jump off the couch (it’s not that high) rather than go down them. We took the stairs away and he can still jump up onto the couch if he wants to. I have no idea how I would get him to not jump off the couch. He is fearless with that. Limiting the stairs is easy enough because we put baby gates at all of the staircases. I more often carry him up and down the stairs anyway because he doesn’t love them. Hoping all of that helps. 🤞🏼
> 
> Totally off topic but I am so glad that the new format of this site seems to work on my phone! Now I can read posts here more often!


When Kodi injured his shoulder last year, jumping off furniture also became a no-no. We had to gate off the family roo. So he just couldn’t even get into the room unless we were in there with him. In his case, it was even more critical, because he would be landing right on his injured front leg. When he’s on the bed with us, we STILL have a leash on him so he can’t jump off.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> We block the sofa by simply putting the cushions on their side at an angle when not sitting there. This makes it so there is no real place for the dog to lay. Some jumpers may still jump on the arm though. You may have to get more creative If he does that.


For a long time, I had an ex pen around the couch in my office to keep Kodi off it. We just moved it out of the way when we waned to use it. Eventually, we just removed the couch, though, because it’s a room he is often in, and it became apparent that this shoulder thing, although MUCH better, is something we will have to be careful of for the rest of his life. (For those who don’t know about it, he got run over by a 70 lb hound dog about a year ago and seriously injured his shoulder)


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> For a long time, I had an ex pen around the couch in my office to keep Kodi off it. We just moved it out of the way when we waned to use it. Eventually, we just removed the couch, though, because it’s a room he is often in, and it became apparent that this shoulder thing, although MUCH better, is something we will have to be careful of for the rest of his life. (For those who don’t know about it, he got run over by a 70 lb hound dog about a year ago and seriously injured his shoulder)


IMO, where there is a will, there is a way to block dogs from whatever can harm them, whether that be furniture, stairs or coyotes! We do what we have to do! There may be different means to accomplish it but it can be done!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> IMO, where there is a will, there is a way to block dogs from whatever can harm them, whether that be furniture, stairs or coyotes! We do what we have to do! There may be different means to accomplish it but it can be done!


It can be hard though!


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

krandall said:


> For a long time, I had an ex pen around the couch in my office to keep Kodi off it. We just moved it out of the way when we waned to use it. Eventually, we just removed the couch, though, because it’s a room he is often in, and it became apparent that this shoulder thing, although MUCH better, is something we will have to be careful of for the rest of his life. (For those who don’t know about it, he got run over by a 70 lb hound dog about a year ago and seriously injured his shoulder)


Poor Kodi, that must have been traumatic for him, and of course for you too! I was curious about his recovery time but you mentioned above that it’s going to be something to cope with for his life. It sounds like you have been creative in trying to come up with solutions and of course it’s always trial and error depending on what the doggie will try/prefers!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LeleRF said:


> Poor Kodi, that must have been traumatic for him, and of course for you too! I was curious about his recovery time but you mentioned above that it’s going to be something to cope with for his life. It sounds like you have been creative in trying to come up with solutions and of course it’s always trial and error depending on what the doggie will try/prefers!


It is as healed as it's going to get. Partially because it was a very bad injury, and partially because of his age when it happened. Just like with people, older dogs don't recover from injuries as easily/completely as young ones do. But it's also because of WHERE the injury was. Broken bones are easier to fix than soft tissue injuries. And shoulders are very complicated in humans and FRIGHTFULLY complicated in dogs and horses. If he were a horse, it would have been a life-ending injury. A horse cannot survive without the use of a shoulder. In both horses and dogs, they do not have a shoulder "joint" like we have. There is no boney connection between the dog's leg and their body. Instead, the leg is held entirely in place by soft tissue. As a result, if you injure that soft tissue, it is a bear to try to heal it, while the animal is still walking around on it and using it. There is no way to completely take weight off it while in recovery, so it's incredibly important not to allow the dog to re-injure it by jumping down onto that leg.

The other thing that can (and did) happen, is that JUST like a human recovering from a shoulder injury, when it hurts, the dog starts guarding against a full range of motion, and ends up with a "frozen shoulder", where the scar tissue actually PREVENTS full range of motion. So we got to the point in his healing where that scar tissue had to be manually broken down in PT (while giving him meds to control his pain)

Because he is a mature dog and not a crazy puppy, we never had to confine him to a crate or ex pen, but it was a full 9 months of absolutely NO stairs or furniture, NO running in the yard, no training that required any running (and he runs doing just about ANYTHING!) or even leash walking. At 6 months, we could FINALLY start leash walking, starting with 10 minutes a day. At 9 months he was up to 45 minutes on leash, with short periods off leash where he was allowed to choose his own pace. We also started gently easing him back into training then.

As much as it kills me, I will not finish his Utility title (the highest level of obedience) in AKC, because I am not willing to let him jump AKC heights and take a chance on re-injuring that shoulder. Instead, I HOPE to still finish his Utility title, but we'll do it in CDSP which allows a dog with an injury or disability to jump a low as 4" (basically a bar on the ground) Even for a Havanese, this isn't much more than just a running step-over, so both the vet and I feel this is safe. And he still WANTS to train. When his "turn" is over during my lessons, he stands in the middle of the ring, and doesn't want to go back in his crate! LOL!

He still gets chiro every 6 weeks and underwater treadmill work, so that she can keep him stretched out and even. We tried to stretch it to 8 weeks, and it was clear that he was uncomfortable during the last couple of weeks. I also keep Metacam on hand for days when he seems to be uncomfortable. And he does have those now and then, though I'm not ALWAYS clear why they happen.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> It can be hard though!


Definitely can be hard! Sometimes requires cooperation from family members too. However, I really think it helps these poor little guys with orthopedic issues. I was on Dodgerslist forum for many months and saw so many dogs with back issues where their owners had to express their bladders for them because the bladder no longer worked. I decided that blocking furniture is not that big a deal! Things can always be worse.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

stephsu said:


> Connected with his breeder and she is sending me some supplements to try. She said no stairs, jumping, etc. He has pet stairs to get on the couch as the trainer said that was better for him but he likes to jump off the couch (it’s not that high) rather than go down them. We took the stairs away and he can still jump up onto the couch if he wants to. I have no idea how I would get him to not jump off the couch. He is fearless with that. Limiting the stairs is easy enough because we put baby gates at all of the staircases. I more often carry him up and down the stairs anyway because he doesn’t love them. Hoping all of that helps. 🤞🏼
> 
> Totally off topic but I am so glad that the new format of this site seems to work on my phone! Now I can read posts here more often!


Not sure how your house is set up but you could also try some temporary furniture or gate rearrangements. I had to push one sofa against the wall for a while, which looked terrible, and when I floated it back in the room I put an expen in front of it to keep him from jumping off of the back. It wasn’t a perfect training solution, but between redirection and encouraging him to use the other sofa for a week or so, he rarely jumps off of it. If you have an low ottoman, a bed, or a crate you could move into your living area temporarily, something he doesn’t have to climb, you could make it easier to access the low items and deter his path elsewhere. If he’s hurting that might be enough for right now. Also, if he’s anything like Sundance, looking for ways to slow him down, or containing him where you can intervene more quickly, is helpful. When he was hurt, he always ran when he was excited, and in our long hallway. 

You mentioned he’ll use the steps going up the sofa but jumps off- if you have a long bench or something you could place in front of the sofa to create a step he can’t bypass, something he has to walk down, maybe that would help. It might not limit as much movement as the doggy stairs but better than jumping! Or pair the stairs with a chair or something closer to the size of the stairs. 

Playing around with these kinds of things helped me solve problems with other house training issues and kept Sundance from running when he was hurt, but I’m a really hands-on learner so sometimes it took a few tries. I rearranged my small front room a couple of times and used expens in some strange ways, but it was all temporary. Much easier than removing all of the drilled baby proofing on my cabinets and drawers in my old house  If it turns out your puppy needs something permanent, you’ll have an idea of where to start and what works best for your family.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Wow! all this makes me glad I kept AKC insurance. For three years that $35/mo charge now equals $1,240. But when I see the outrageous costs of veterinary care and the types of surgeries and treatments being performed .... I wonder how the AKC Insurance Company can stay in business paying out such huge vet hospital bills.


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

Mikki said:


> Wow! all this makes me glad I kept AKC insurance. For three years that $35/mo charge now equals $1,240. But when I see the outrageous costs of veterinary care and the types of surgeries and treatments being performed .... I wonder how the AKC Insurance Company can stay in business paying out such huge vet hospital bills.


Thanks for sharing this, Mikki. As I am still very much in the pre-puppy research stage I was planning to start a new thread to ask about pet insurance (who has it, feelings one way or the other, etc), but first would give the forum a search in case it was already a recent past thread.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

LeleRF said:


> Thanks for sharing this, Mikki. As I am still very much in the pre-puppy research stage I was planning to start a new thread to ask about pet insurance (who has it, feelings one way or the other, etc), but first would give the forum a search in case it was already a recent past thread.



Like all insurance if you need it you're glad you bought it. Not many people can afford to self insure, which in the long run is a whole lot cheaper if you can. I've thought: What If I put that AKC monthly fee into a Savings Account and have it there if needed. I expect the fee will go up as Patti ages.

Or like high deductible co-pay insurance for humans take a chunk of money, say $5,000 and put it in an account for future Vet bills. This is my opinion but from the outside looking in - it seems Veterinarians now days are doing a lot of questionable and expensive procedures that dogs use to be put down for. I hope I never have to face one of those decisions. My husband is a retired orthopedic surgeon and the surgical fees I've seen were more than he charged or could collect. 

Insurance is our largest budget costs: Home, Vehicles, Personal Property, Health Care (even Medicare with Drug coverage costs about $1K a month for two people), Unexpected Lawsuit Insurance on and on. I'm sure I've forgotten something.

When I read reviews about AKC Insurance there were stories from people about Vet surgical procedures, cancer treatments and other diseases costing tens-of-thousands of dollars and the AKC insurance paid! the full bill or a big chunk of it.

I wondered how can AKC could stay in business. If they go Belly Up all the money one has paid for the insurance will be lost. AKC has only been in business since 2002.

I've forgotten my deductible and will have to dig out the info.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

If you are going to get pet insurance, definitely do it when they are young. It is crazy expensive to start it for older dogs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LeleRF said:


> Thanks for sharing this, Mikki. As I am still very much in the pre-puppy research stage I was planning to start a new thread to ask about pet insurance (who has it, feelings one way or the other, etc), but first would give the forum a search in case it was already a recent past thread.


I have never had pet insurance on my dogs, always having preferred to "self insure" our animals. But, you know, just seeing the TROUBLE puppies and young dogs can get themselves into... I am going to STRONGLY urge my puppy buyers to insure their puppies for AT LEAST the first couple of years, and I will be doing the same with the puppy I keep. You never KNOW what they are going to do to themselves!!! And you do your best, but you just can't keep them wrapped in cotton wool all the time. Kodi swallowing a dental chew whole at 18 months cost me $1800! Who knew?!?! Certainly not me! Same with Pixel's tongue incident! Nobody's fault really, but those 5 stitches cost $800!!! 

Puppies are SO unpredictable, and insurance is quite reasonable cost-wise when they are young! Even something fairly minor, like a retained testicle or retained teeth can be costly without insurance. Pretty routine stuff, something a breeder has no control over, something you won't know until you've had your puppy for several months, but still needs to be dealt with!


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

krandall said:


> I have never had pet insurance on my dogs, always having preferred to "self insure" our animals. But, you know, just seeing the TROUBLE puppies and young dogs can get themselves into... I am going to STRONGLY urge my puppy buyers to insure their puppies for AT LEAST the first couple of years, and I will be doing the same with the puppy I keep. You never KNOW what they are going to do to themselves!!! And you do your best, but you just can't keep them wrapped in cotton wool all the time. Kodi swallowing a dental chew whole at 18 months cost me $1800! Who knew?!?! Certainly not me! Same with Pixel's tongue incident! Nobody's fault really, but those 5 stitches cost $800!!!
> 
> Puppies are SO unpredictable, and insurance is quite reasonable cost-wise when they are young! Even something fairly minor, like a retained testicle or retained teeth can be costly without insurance. Pretty routine stuff, something a breeder has no control over, something you won't know until you've had your puppy for several months, but still needs to be dealt with!


 That is exactly why we bought pet insurance when we brought Cassie home...I was more worried about her eating something than anything else. Most policies can be designed the way you want them...we have a high deductible with a modest premium that was only intended to be catastrophic insurance (like the kind humans used to get...not coverage for routine care.) We hit the deductible one year when needed a catscan for digestive issues, but the payment from the insurance company that year covered several years of premiums. I don't think we will hit it again but nice to have as a backup in mind.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Cassandra said:


> That is exactly why we bought pet insurance when we brought Cassie home...*I was more worried about her eating something than anything else.* Most policies can be designed the way you want them...we have a high deductible with a modest premium that was only intended to be catastrophic insurance (like the kind humans used to get...not coverage for routine care.) We hit the deductible one year when needed a catscan for digestive issues, but the payment from the insurance company that year covered several years of premiums. I don't think we will hit it again but nice to have as a backup in mind.


Patti's three years old and we still have to worry about her eating something. At a few months old (beginning of teething) she was chewing on a Bully Stick type thing and a piece got caught in her throat. 

My poor DH stayed up with her all night as she struggled. He's a retired physician and is use to those kind of things. I was in bed and didn't know until I got up the next morning, when we quickly took her to the vet. While waiting for the vet the thing went down and Patti collapsed from exhausting. If it hadn't gotten loose we would have had to go to the OSU Vet Hospital where they have the equipment to locate the object. 

Then there was the Himalayan Chew. After swallowing a chunk she was sick throwing up for hours. I didn't realize what was going on until I found the chunk in her last vomit. From there she was up and about playing. 

One day the grandkids chased Patti down trying to reclaim an Ear Bud holder and never found it. The attachment was clear and I figured it was lost in our light colored shag rug. They thought she swallowed it. Oh! No, I said. Patti would not swallow that. Not longer after while picking up poop I found the kids - intact ear bud holder. At that point they passed on wanting it back.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

That is so scary Mikki! Whenever I check out at our pet store I always see the display of the original Himalayan Chews and consider buying one. Something always tells me not to because they are so solid. I have always been concerned about the possibility of a small piece breaking off and being accidentally swallowed. Your story reinforces my concern.
I do buy the vegetable and cheese Himalayan Churro Chew which soften up when chewed, but I'm always watching while they are chewing.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mikki said:


> One day the grandkids chased Patti down trying to reclaim an Ear Bud holder and never found it. The attachment was clear and I figured it was lost in our light colored shag rug. They thought she swallowed it. Oh! No, I said. Patti would not swallow that. Not longer after while picking up poop I found the kids - intact ear bud holder. At that point they passed on wanting it back.


LOL! I've stopped worrying about ear buds. I know from (sad, expensive BOSE noise cancelling ear bud) experience that they pass quite easily... slippery little things that they are!!!  Panda, I have to say, is the VERY WORST culprit in the ear bud department. She has been pretty non-destructive in most ways, but she is DEATH on ear buds!


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## stephsu (Apr 27, 2020)

mudpuppymama said:


> We block the sofa by simply putting the cushions on their side at an angle when not sitting there. This makes it so there is no real place for the dog to lay. Some jumpers may still jump on the arm though. You may have to get more creative If he does that.


 That's awesome! I knew someone here would have a good idea! I told my husband that we'd have to move the couch! This is much better!!! Thank you!!!!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

stephsu said:


> That's awesome! I knew someone here would have a good idea! I told my husband that we'd have to move the couch! This is much better!!! Thank you!!!!


Awesome! I am glad this will work for you!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

krandall said:


> LOL! I've stopped worrying about ear buds. I know from (sad, expensive BOSE noise cancelling ear bud) experience that they pass quite easily... slippery little things that they are!!!  Panda, I have to say, is the VERY WORST culprit in the ear bud department. She has been pretty non-destructive in most ways, but she is DEATH on ear buds!



The grandkids and daughter have decided Ear Buds aren't a good idea and have switched brands. Best Buy no longer insures them. I think Patti might be the reason why.

Eye Glasses. I finally ordered a new pair after Patti finished the second pair off. _Grrrrrrrrr! _

When I was getting my eyes checked I said, _My dog ate my glasses and I'm going to need a new pair. _The optometry assistant said, _you're the tenth person to say that this morning_. My appointment was 11:30 a.m.

When the optometrist came in to test my eyes he said,_ The number one reason we sell glasses is because "the dog ate them" and the second reason people losing them in the lake. _

Oh Well...I was wanting a new style anyway and Learned Another Expensive Lesson.

Don't Forget to put them in a drawer. Nothing on a counter top is safe.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

stephsu said:


> That's awesome! I knew someone here would have a good idea! I told my husband that we'd have to move the couch! This is much better!!! Thank you!!!!


That’s funny because I completely agree, but DH can’t stand it when people mess with the cushions. He would much rather me move the furniture! We ordered new sofas months ago but they still won’t be here for a couple more months because of covid. DH is in no way a neat freak, but every time we sit down to watch tv or something he starts nagging about the cushions being backwards or smashed. He is determined the kids will learn to take care of the olds furniture before the new ones arrive. I prefer to have realistic expectations 

I hate moving furniture around because I hate change unless it’s new and shiny  It was worth it to me, though, especially for protecting my rugs. But however you do it, tilted cushions or moving things around can be temporary if you use them as training tools.

Mudpuppymama, just for fun, I just checked in my sofa cushions, where I’m sitting. I found 2 pencils, an empty paper towel roll, a bully stick, a wrapper for a sheet mask, a fork, and a gray T-shirt (which is confusing). I bet your sofas are pristine! Also, we need a waste paper basket in our family room, apparently.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> That’s funny because I completely agree, but DH can’t stand it when people mess with the cushions. He would much rather me move the furniture! We ordered new sofas months ago but they still won’t be here for a couple more months because of covid. DH is in no way a neat freak, but every time we sit down to watch tv or something he starts nagging about the cushions being backwards or smashed. He is determined the kids will learn to take care of the olds furniture before the new ones arrive. I prefer to have realistic expectations
> 
> I hate moving furniture around because I hate change unless it’s new and shiny  It was worth it to me, though, especially for protecting my rugs. But however you do it, tilted cushions or moving things around can be temporary if you use them as training tools.
> 
> Mudpuppymama, just for fun, I just checked in my sofa cushions, where I’m sitting. I found 2 pencils, an empty paper towel roll, a bully stick, a wrapper for a sheet mask, a fork, and a gray T-shirt (which is confusing). I bet your sofas are pristine! Also, we need a waste paper basket in our family room, apparently.


That is funny. Different sofas have different type of cushions too. Some are really mushy and don’t hold their shape. Others are firm. My sofas don’t get sit on much. My husband and I spend lots of time at the kitchen table unless we watch a movie. We have soft cushy kitchen chairs with wheels (the only type DH would consider). We have no kids and the dogs are never on the sofa either! So that makes it much easier to keep them clean and neat!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Mikki said:


> The grandkids and daughter have decided Ear Buds aren't a good idea and have switched brands. Best Buy no longer insures them. I think Patti might be the reason why.


I can’t stand air pods. DH is by far the worst, he loses them constantly. I don’t know how they haven’t been eaten by Sundance because I find them on the floor or under the bed all of the time. He doesn’t even tell me anymore when he loses one, I can tell by the way he casually makes the bed or starts cleaning up the office. The most annoying thing is both DH and DD’s AirPods don’t stay connected or something so the Find my AirPod thing never works. I bought DS an inexpensive brand of wireless headphones for Christmas, the kind where they are small ear buds that don’t need to be plugged into the device, but both ears are connected by a string so they don’t get lost as easily. He has never lost them but they are never charged! My favorite headphones of all time are a $30 wired wooden pair I bought on Amazon.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mikki said:


> The grandkids and daughter have decided Ear Buds aren't a good idea and have switched brands. Best Buy no longer insures them. I think Patti might be the reason why.
> 
> Eye Glasses. I finally ordered a new pair after Patti finished the second pair off. _Grrrrrrrrr! _
> 
> ...


Panda also ate my glasses as a puppy.☺


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> That’s funny because I completely agree, but DH can’t stand it when people mess with the cushions. He would much rather me move the furniture! We ordered new sofas months ago but they still won’t be here for a couple more months because of covid. DH is in no way a neat freak, but every time we sit down to watch tv or something he starts nagging about the cushions being backwards or smashed. He is determined the kids will learn to take care of the olds furniture before the new ones arrive. I prefer to have realistic expectations
> 
> I hate moving furniture around because I hate change unless it’s new and shiny  It was worth it to me, though, especially for protecting my rugs. But however you do it, tilted cushions or moving things around can be temporary if you use them as training tools.
> 
> Mudpuppymama, just for fun, I just checked in my sofa cushions, where I’m sitting. I found 2 pencils, an empty paper towel roll, a bully stick, a wrapper for a sheet mask, a fork, and a gray T-shirt (which is confusing). I bet your sofas are pristine! Also, we need a waste paper basket in our family room, apparently.


LOL! You OBVIOUSLY don’t live with Panda! While she no longer chews things up, she has a strict rule that NO pillow is allowed to stay on ANY couch or bed in ANY room she has access to. She heads in and sounding like a rhinoceros (I’ll explain that in a moment) she flies onto the coach or bed, under the pillows and pushes them all onto the floor!

... as far as the “rhino noises”... When my older son was very small (and his daughter now!) his FAVORITE book book was the Sandra Boynton book, “Moo, Baa, La, La, La” In that book, it goes through various animal noises (including “three singing pigs who say “la la la”). But the “rhinoceroses snort and snuff and little dogs go ruff ruff ruff” (can you tell I’ve read this book a few too many times? 🤣.

Panda DEFINITELY has the “snort and snuff” down pat!


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

krandall said:


> Panda also ate my glasses as a puppy.☺


I never knew puppies chewed on glasses...more stuff to put in a drawer...next to ear buds!


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

krandall said:


> ... as far as the “rhino noises”... When my older son was very small (and his daughter now!) his FAVORITE book book was the Sandra Boynton book, “Moo, Baa, La, La, La” In that book, it goes through various animal noises (including “three singing pigs who say “la la la”). But the “rhinoceroses snort and snuff and little dogs go ruff ruff ruff” (can you tell I’ve read this book a few too many times? 🤣.
> 
> Panda DEFINITELY has the “snort and snuff” down pat!



Ohhh, we LOVED Sandra Boynton books, most especially Pookie! It’s funny we were recently talking about all the favorite children’s books that we read over and over and over... Jamberry, the Big Red Barn, Guess How Much I Love You....and then the songs we sang as part of bedtime routine as well. It was a loooong routine lol


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mando's Mommy said:


> I never knew puppies chewed on glasses...more stuff to put in a drawer...next to ear buds!


In Panda’s case, thankfully, she never chewed the lenses, just the ends of the ear pieces. So I think, like the ear buds, it has to do with the “human smell” on them. But the result... wasn’t pretty! LOL!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

krandall said:


> In Panda’s case, thankfully, she never chewed the lenses, just the ends of the ear pieces. So I think, like the ear buds, it has to do with the “human smell” on them. But the result... wasn’t pretty! LOL!


Pattie doesn't chew the lenses but they got in the way while she worked on the rims of the purple pair. Those were destroyed. My brown glass lenses had a little scratch and I could still use them before Patti got them a second time and broke off the ear piece. I unfortunately laid them on a table to do something and before I knew it Patti had them. Sometimes the ear piece can be replaced if not broken in a certain way. New ear pieces are _only_ $45.

I, too, think it's the human smell that has Patti laser focused on Ear Buds, Glasses, the grandsons stinky socks (she prefers theirs to everyone else's). Now days she doesn't chew holes in their socks but she Loves! to carry them around hide them under the bed.


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Checking in to see how Otto is doing.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Mando's Mommy said:


> I never knew puppies chewed on glasses...more stuff to put in a drawer...next to ear buds!


Now that MANDO is home, *EVERYTHING* non-digestible goes in cabinets and drawers!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mando's Mommy said:


> I never knew puppies chewed on glasses...more stuff to put in a drawer...next to ear buds!


You have NO IDEA what puppies will chew. Everything you can think of.. and then all the things you think they wouldn't possibly CONSIDER chewing!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I had a scare with chewing stuff on Friday. DH and I were running Ethernet and electrical cord and I had long wood dowels we were using to mark locations from the attic to the bedroom. I accidentally broke a piece off, and wood pencils and dowels are irresistible to Sundance. I swear he smell them when they enter a room! Sometimes he’ll leave 48” dowels alone (although he’s been know to run down a hall with them and catch the long end on stuff) but short pieces are never safe. The second a piece broke off he was after it! I let him keep the piece for just a moment, I didn’t want to create a power struggle drama by grabbing it from him when I could make a trade. I went to get a treat and I did that thing where I forgot what I was doing in the other room!! I also forgot Sundance had the dowel. A couple of hours later I found a couple of pieces of small pieces of chewed dowel on the bed and completely panicked because I couldn’t find the rest! After 10 minutes of searching I was relieved to find it under the bed, after checking multiple times.


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