Foster with Behavior Problems - Page 5 - Golden Retrievers : Golden Retriever Dog Forums

**CAROLINA MOM** · #41 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_S

He gets his first heartworm treatment the day after Christmas, and the rescue wants to wait until then to see how he reacts to the treatment. Wish him luck! I know the injection can be dangerous sometimes (though I suppose having heartworms is more dangerous), and my wife and I are getting really attached to George, so we're a little worried!

By the way, here's a picture of George smiling!

George is beautiful! I can see why you and your wife are getting attached to him, he sounds wonderful and has made such great progress.

I did a foster to Adopt of my girl through a GR Rescue while she was treated for Stage 3 HW. She started her treatment in Jan. received her last one in May, tested negative, cleared medically, and I officially adopted her.

I had Never dealt with a HW positive dog before, all my dogs had always been on HW prevention. I was totally clueless about HW, the treatment, etc. I read as much info as I could find about HW, the treatment methods, etc. Worked very closely with my Vet Clinic and my GR Rescue.
My girl came through the treatments without any problems.

Wishing you the best with George and his treatments.

**Tennyson** · #42 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 08:54 AM

George is beautiful and the updates of his progress are great to hear. You've gotten mostly great advice on this forum from people who have been through similar situations. So glad you stuck with George and are getting favorable results. One day in the near future you're gonna look at George and know that it was all worth it.
Thank you for rescuing him.

Solas Goldens · #43 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 08:57 AM

Hi...... you have gotten a lot go good advice, I'm just wondering why George hasn't been neutered yet. Usually that is the first thing a rescue will do. It won't correct behavioral issues but a decrease in hormones will definitely help.
I just neutered my 21/2 year old golden, it has made ahuge difference in his behavior, and he is just happier and more relaxed.

Paul_S · #44 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdgli

Also, don't expect to get rid of the prey drive. You may be able to train other behavioral responses but the prey drive will still be there. Also, beware of something that I think is called "instinctive drift". It explains why lion tamers sometimes get bit.

I know, ironically, just after I posted the last update he snapped at our cat. I haven't seen him do that in a long time. It also took him a little longer than usual to lose interest and settle down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charliethree

Good to hear George was such a good boy for you, it really makes you proud - doesn't it?

Yes! I'm very proud of him!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAROLINA MOM

Wishing you the best with George and his treatments.

Thank you! I've never dealt with a dog with HW either. I have read about it, though, and I'm going to get a chance to speak with George's vet due to his scratching/biting and itching. I think that will be a good opportunity to ask what I can do to make the HW treatment easier on him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solas Goldens

I'm just wondering why George hasn't been neutered yet. Usually that is the first thing a rescue will do. It won't correct behavioral issues but a decrease in hormones will definitely help.
I just neutered my 21/2 year old golden, it has made ahuge difference in his behavior, and he is just happier and more relaxed.

I agree that George needs to be neutered, and I already asked twice about getting it done sooner rather than later. Apparently his vet would strongly prefer to neuter him after the heartworm treatments are done. I read a lot about neutering a dog with heartworms, and there seems to be a 50/50 split in opinions; some vets do it before the HW treatments, others do it after. I was told George has a particularly bad case of HW, so that might have something to do with it.

Merlins mom · #45 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 09:46 PM

I can't give you any advice about the other behaviors, but the fact that he wants to bite your cat gives me pause. I have a very dog savvy cat, but I have had two fosters that had to find other foster homes because they were way too aggressive with my cat. I'm all for fostering and rescuing (I do both), but not at the cost of my own animals welfare. I would talk to the rescue again and stress to them that this dog needs a cat free foster home. It's their responsibility to help with that.

I have a friend who fostered a dog that killed her cat. And she is a very responsible and knowledgeable foster home. It can happen.

I hope everything works out for you and for him!

Merlins mom · #46 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 09:49 PM

should have read more before I posted! Glad to hear that George is making progress. Kudos to you for working with him so much. It's nice that you are seeing results!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_S

Hi everyone,

Just a quick status update... George has made huge progress with the cat. He's far less aggressive than I originally thought. My wife panicked when George first lunged after the cat, so we kept them separated ever since. Consequently, I think the cat became the "forbidden fruit" -- much more intriguing to George.

We've been carefully giving the cat and George more time together lately. George still lunges sometimes, but he hasn't bitten the cat. George has one of those big dopey faces, and he's a slobberer, so sometimes the cat ends up with slobber on him after they interact. I initially thought George was biting him, but I no longer thing that's true. He does mouth the cat sometimes, but only with that soft Golden "bite." The cat always defends himself if George gets too close, but George doesn't seem to care.

Most significantly, I've been able to break George's focus on the cat. I've been able to call George away (followed by praise and treats), and I've even gotten him to lay down and stop bothering the cat.

Of course, I still don't leave them alone together. I also have to limit the total amount of time they spend together so as not to put too much stress on the kitty.

Overall, things are going well! George had a ball playing at the dog park the other day. I take him there daily, but we're usually alone. Yesterday he got to run and frolic with three other dogs -- he was in heaven!

Paul_S · #47 (**permalink**) 11-29-2012, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlins mom

should have read more before I posted! Glad to hear that George is making progress. Kudos to you for working with him so much. It's nice that you are seeing results!!

Thanks! I definitely had that terrible thought in the back of my mind (turning my back for a second, then finding a seriously injured kitty)... fortunately I think George is much more interested in playing than hurting. He sometimes sees the cat as a toy, and that could've been a problem considering George weighs 73 lbs. and the cat weighs 12 lbs., but he has settled down considerably.

In unrelated news, George visited the vet today! The poor boy, he has to wear a cone around his neck for a few days. The vet thinks he has dermatitis caused by flea bites, even though she couldn't find any fleas on him. They had to shave his hot spots, they gave him an injection of prednisone, and they gave me more flea medicine, special shampoo, cream to rub on his hot spots, and more pills to add to his diet! She also gave me medication to treat a small ear infection she found. The next two weeks are going to be a bit more work, but I'm glad we caught these things before they got any worse.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to CAROLINA MOM For This Useful Post:
jackie_hubert (11-29-2012), Paul_S (11-29-2012)

The Following User Says Thank You to Tennyson For This Useful Post:
Paul_S (11-29-2012)

The Following User Says Thank You to Paul_S For This Useful Post:
gdgli (11-29-2012)

The Following User Says Thank You to Merlins mom For This Useful Post:
Paul_S (11-29-2012)

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Golden Retriever Forum Advertisement