O/T Farm Dog's

Growing up on Dad's Farm in the 40's and 50's We always had a couple dogs that had the run of the place. I can never remember a time they were taket to a vet. They all lived to be quite old. Now fast foreward. Seams every month or so our dog, or one of the cat's is going to the vet for something. This time the dog starting to drag her fanny around on the ground. I told my wife she did this because she didn't have hands to scratch it. Didn't work, off to the vet for a ream job of some kind. Dragging her butt on the ground would have done the same thing, and cost a lot less. Between the dog's cats, and horses I have spent enough over the years on vet bill's to buy a new car. Stan

But, you wouldn't have it any other way........ :roll:

I brought my dog Sadie up to Minnesota with me in April and she hasn't been to the vet yet. The vet came out for TB testing the cattle and she brought a rabies shot and tag with her. That was pretty handy. Gotta love those spunky farm dogs.

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last year we spent more money on the blasted cats than the cows.
mrs 730 didn't believe me until i got out the receipts. she was surprised.

I was told when dogs drag their rearend on the ground they probably got worms of some kind and this is how they scratch the itch. Same goes for us humans (but we don't drag our).

Sadly to say here that the parisites have to come out to lay their eggs where it is moist. This causes the itching.

It's about the same situation here in Wisconsin. Our vets have a sign up on the wall in their clinic with the quote from the "Bible" to the effect, What doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loseth his own soul? Yes, our vets here are fairly expensive, but good guys, too; they about HAVE to be earning their pay.
Not to change subjects, but I saw when I was a kid, my Grandfather accidently run a rear tire of his Farmall Cub over my Dad's Weimeraner dog. The tire went right up in the air, over the dog's hip, the dog got right up, walked it off & was just fine. True story. Cub had the rear wheel weights on, too, because I never saw that tractor with them off. Can't remember any other "accidents" any of us ever had with that tractor. Mark.

Probably wormy.

Neighbor mixes gravy with crushed eggs - shell and all. He feeds it to his hunting dogs - sez the eggs shells slice the worms and kill them. Once in a while it also kills a dog.

I said, "Why don't you soak a Brillo pad in gravy and feed it to the dog?"

"Eggs are cheaper", he sez. . .

Paul

Ralph doesn't go to the vet,unless he's just along for the ride.Then I'll think he needs vacinated and get him his shots or the vet just brings it with him.

Your dog made the trip in the right direction. Fewer parasites, etc in MN.

When we moved to MO we had a Lab. He was rather old. He did not adjust to the climate, parasites, etc. very well. Anyway, that was years ago.

Christopher

A n a l glands.

Apparantly dog poo isn't stinky enough, they have to put extra scent on them. If they don't have firm enough poo, they don't squeezed out naturally like they should and fill up. The butt drag is their way of cleaning 'em.

Most groomers clean them as a matter of course. I've read it described on my Dal board, it's not hard, just not for the queasy of stomach and best done while giving a bath for easy cleanup. Figure if scooting on the carpet is good enough, can't be too hard by finger tip

Females seem more prone to it for whatever reason.

Yes, for the veterinarily paranoid they could be infected, punctured, or have a tumor. But most likely they just need a special squeezing.

==================
Back to farm dogs, my dad used to tell the story of one Labrador they had on the family farm. The neighborhood kids would come up and ask for them to lock up the dog so they could go swimming -- if the dog saw someone in the pond, he'd dive in, grab a hold, and haul them out!

Hi Stan,

Ya, I've noticed that too. On my last three Labs, I've had serious mood changes after getting them a rabies shot.

One of them was so bad that he went to killing other animals and biting people so I had to put him down. I won't have a dog that I can't trust not too bite a human.

My point is, I've never seen these kinds of problems before with any Lab breed in the past 50yrs.

T_Bone

I know what you mean. At one time I had 6 to 8 dogs around here all at once and they never got taken to the vet for anything. Other than the ones that got "taken" at a young age by getting in the road they all lived to be a ripe old age. I believe the oldest was going on 13 and half cripple from two gunshot wounds( recieved in her wonderings, and which I had treated) when she wondered off somewhere to die.

Thankfully back then we had a local vet that was an older guy who cared more about the animals than the money so he treated both the pet and the anuimal right. Like when dad took a cat in for it"s "shots" at Mom"s insistance. Doc told him there were X number of shots he "could" give and it would cost X amount but the cat really only NEEDED these two or three in particular and they weren"t expensive. His words were there"s no need to spend $50 in shots on a 50 cent cat. Yet he was also the type of guy that did whatr was needed when needed. Like the time one of my brood got shot and it broke the bone in her left rear leg. I couldn"t afford alot of "care" at the time so I ask him to just set it and do what he could as cheap as possible. When he got in the leg during surgery he took it upon himself to put in a metal pin needed to support the brake until it was healed even though it cost alot more than I could pay. He did the "extra" work free of charge, for the sake of the dog, and then he also went back in and removed the pin free of charge. You couldn"t ask for a better man thn that.

My next experience with the same vet hospital some years later, was after the father had gotten out of the business due to age and health problems. I took in one of the brood with a tumor on her neck. That visit cost me over $100 for them to tell me simply that she had a tumor (that I knew)and that they needed to put her to sleep (for X amount of course), even though it wasn"t really bothering her. I brought her back home and she lived another 6 months just doing her thing as usual until she died in her sleep one night. She was nearly 14 at the time.


I think society nowdays has forced the issue of "animal rights" on people along with the thought that animals are people too for so long that some actually believe it (the PETA people for instance). Granted I love my dogs like they were family but in the end I still remember that although I do treat them right, they are animals and not human.

My wife is a pet groomer, and the glands are "expressed" as part of the standard grooming. Dogs really seem to like it, wag their tales after.

Pity you didn't come on here first, Matt from CT has possibly nailed it, a DIY job. To be sure it's not worms poke around the droppings with a stick and look for the signs.
Google "worms in dogs" for identification but I haven't found other than tape worms. or
dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Symptoms_of_Dog_Worms.html

Stan, this isn't about the dog itch but, I believe that like in the swine industry the breeding and genetics has taken away some of the characteristics that are desirable while they are trying to enhance other charateristics. Todays swine have lost certain genetics for immune systems and are more susceptable to disease, I think dog breeding has done the same unconsciously. The last five Labs our family had all died young and with cancer, about seven or eight years seemed to be the longevity. Are Labs more susceptable to cancer? I think that genetically the way they have been bred that characteristic has become part of them. I don't know the answer but I do raise the question.

I had a vet like that for many years, missed him after he retired.He just passed on at 94.He lived in a big house always had a late model car and truck.My last trip to the doctor cost 139.00,was there about 10 minutes.I have medicare plus another policy.Used to visit the doc for an hours wages in the 70s,no more.Vets are getting the same rates.

Butt dragging usually means worms or some crap stuck tight.

I have a Lab about 9yrs old. He is an outside dog. Very people friendly as I sell produce at the house (self serve)and he loves the customers. He runs loose all day but is tied up at night because he chases the cats. He wouldn't hurt them but they are afraid of him.

The 2 cats are 19 and 20yrs old,live outside and seem to thrive.The 20 year old only has 1 front leg . It got caught in one of my traps and the vet cut the leg off at the shoulder. She really gets around well on 3 legs.

In my opinion most dogs and cats are better off living outside than being couped up in the house.

Great photo!

Hello Stan,
First Ill let you know Im a practicing veterinarian, been doing so for the last six years or so. Also let you know that most of the advice/answers given to you were/are correct in that parasites (fleas/worms) but more likely glands are your dogs problem.
Some veterinarians are no different than owners of any other business or venture in that profit is the ultimate goal. I try to be a bit more sensible about my practice in that Ill tell you what your dog or cat needs based on my experience and then I can move onto what else I can offer based on technology today. I live in a rural area so I do get my share of farm dogs/cats and I have programs that offer discounts to spaying, neutering, etc. to keep the numbers of farm animals in check. Most folks appreicate my honesty and straightforwardness and these are the people I like dealing with. There are clients though who think their dogs are their children reborn and will take a second mortgage out on the house to finance their medical needs. I appreicate the passion and connection these folks feel towards their pets and I try to accomodate them to the best of my ability. I think other vets take advantage of the situation and will run every possible diagnostic test and treatment without taking the time to think through a case and why some things might not be necessary.

I do think there has been some changes as far as dogs years ago to dogs today go. . . I know there are some viruses/diseases that are more widespread or present today that were never a problem "back then." Parvovirus is a big one. . . it showed up in the 70's and killed dogs left and right before a nnalert was developed against it. Are certain diseases/cancers more prevalent today or are dogs just living a bit longer or is more of it being detected because of the easier access to veterinary care? Are breeders taking advantage of demand for animals and breeding anything to anything without taking behaviour, family medical history, etc into account? You could say the same thing about people. Seems survival of the fittest is not an issue anymore with all the medical miracles available to folks today. Seems like there is more heart disease, cancer, you name it disease in people today than there ever was. Could go on and on but I think you get some idea.
Anyway, if you were to stop in my office my office call is $32. Expressing the Glands is $15 (One of the things I hate doing so I feel very justified at that price. . . I offer to show owners how to do it but always get turned down). Depending on how severe the dog is I may also give an anti-inflammatory shot to take some of the itch/sting away, another $10. In the end $47-57.
Another thing to realize is the veterinary school is not cheap. The average student debt load after eight years of school beyond high school is $100,000. I was able to work through school and over the summers and cut back on my debt that I owe, but I still have a $500 a month student loan payment. Figure the average starting salary for a veterinarian is in the $40,000-45,000 range; its a discouraging statistic to base a career and income on.

Long winded/worded response, and I apologize. Just wanted to let you know not all vets are crooks (younger ones anyway) and sometimes its not always about being money hungry. Inflation and the cost of being an advanced society has caught up with the vets too.
Dave

Same way for me growing up. The dog never went to the vet and most of ours lived to be 10-12 years old. More so we never owned a bag of dog food, they ate table scraps or stole a little feed from the hog feeders or took the time to go catch their own meal.


Today our pound mutt get about $200 a year spent on him just to keep the shots and heart worm medication up to date. And God help anyone that mom catches feeding him a chicken bone.

We've got an old dog that was born here. We gave away the rest of the litter,but nobody wanted her because she was so shy. She must be better than 12 years old. She's constantly crossing the road. In fact,I've seen her lay on the centerline. Never been hit. The dog warden got after me to get her licensed. We tried to give her a shot one day while the vet was here testing bulls,so I could get her liscensed. Couldn't hold her. I don't know what will finally do her in. I suppose she'll get so old she'll freeze to death or something.

On the flip side,the wife brought home a real nice pup last spring. Took him to the vet,did all the right things. In August,a few days after she took him in and had him fixed,he got in the road and got hit,just like every other dog we've ever had that amounted to anything. She's spent $279 on a shock collar and wireless system for the new one we have now. I feel sorry for him that he can't go as far out around the barns as the old worthless one,but if it keeps him alive,for all the cash she has into him,he'll have to live with it.

This is the type of O/T that I enjoy reading
and come to the forum for.

We are kinda guilty about treating our boxers like kids. But since we don't have kids, why not? My wife frequently refers people to vets when she finds problems with their dogs. One thing is that a lot of dogs are overweight, like a lot of the owner's. Some dogs even get sores where the belly is dragging on the ground. And a lot have hip or joint problems caused or made worse by too much weight.

Reminds me of the story where this guy has this faithful dog, Charlie, who would always sleep on the floor next to his bed. Well, one morning he wakes up and the dog is strangely still, silent and cold. In desperation, he bundles the dog off to the vet. The vet looks at him and says "Your dog is dead, bub". "But he can't be dead. My faithful friend, fed him nothing but the best, exercised him, loved him, etc. He can't be dead! There has got to be some tests you can run to see what is wrong." the guy says. "He's dead, ", the vet says. I'm really sorry but he is dead D-E-A-D Dead! But, tell you what.", the vet says. "I have this Labrador retriever named Rex out back, and he hates Schnauzers like yours. If your dog is alive, believe me, Rex will bark at him.". So the vet brings Rex out, and Rex takes a few half hearted sniffs at Charlie's butt, and then goes off to the other end of the room and lies down. "See." the vet says. "your poor dog is really dead. Rex says so". But the guy won't quit. "Maybe Rex has a cold and can't smell. Maybe he's just wrong this time. There has to be something else you can do.". "OK," says the vet, "I have a cat out back that really hates dogs. If yours is alive believe me this cat will just freak right out." So the vet brings out the cat and holds it near poor Charlie. The cat just makes a disdainful face and then goes off to sleep. "See", says the vet, "Even the cat recognizes your dog is dead." "OK", the guy says. I'll guess you're right. Will you at least give him a decent burial?" "Sure", says the vet. So the guy goes home sans Charlie, and a few days later he gets a bill in the mail for $600.00. He goes storming off to the vet to demand an explanation. "What is the meaning of this?" he yells at the vet, "You didn't even cure my poor dog. All you did was bury him,and that can't cost that much!". "OK", the vet says. "Here is what it covers. The burial was free, the consultation was $100.00, the lab test was $200.00, and the Cat scan was $300.00."
OK, it might be a groaner, but at least it was clean.

YEP! nothing like a good farm dog, this is my Border Collie. Best watch dog I ever had. Quiet.
Walt
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When I was a kid on the farm, we had an old German Shepherd named Shep. He had to be the dumbest dog ever on the face of the earth.

His one redeeming quality was, with my sister playing the piano and me playing the fiddle we could get him to howling so loud our parents would throw all three of us out of the house.

He always slept on the porch in front of the front door of the house. One night he died and next morning Dad had to go out the back door and drag the dead dog away so we could get out the front door.

Dave I am not down on vets I am glad they are around. Like the time one of my horses got his lower jaw in between the gate chain and the gate post, and broke his jaw bone. The lower jaw was just hanging by the skin. Years ago the horse would have been put down, but the vet was able to wire it back together, and it healed. Or the radiation treatement for my cat. All these tratments cost quite alot. I made the decision to have it done. We don't take vacations because of our furry friends. On the other hand I could also say I have spent enough money on doctors over the last 45 years to buy a SUV. A word of caution never use a chain to secure a gate for a horse. This also happened on one of our another horse. The second time for me wasen't as bad, but did require the ver services again. Dave glad you guys are out there. Stan

remember both sets of grandparents farm dogs.one was small black long haired male a 57 variety named barney he was good at catching moles and sometimes would tree a squirrel .the other was a really pretty collie female named ginger she was super -smart almost like talking to a person.she got sick at age 10 or 11 and died. barney got to where he would follow grandad to town.so he was given away to someone in town ithink he was 5 or 6 at the time

Walt Looks a lot like our dog. Very smart dog. Our dog only gets the couch when the cats let her. Stan

I just picked up my wife's Chihuahua from the vet- broke his leg Dec. 12 ad it just wasn't healing right with a splint on it (trying to avaoid surgery) so we had to get it fixed the right way- a plate and 2 scews.

He also got nuetered at the same time so we killed 2 birds with one stone atleast. Coulda been a lot more if we went to a certified surgical vet, but it still cost plenty. About $1500.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I get a note from my vets through the mail that my dogs are due for shots. Take them in they have to have a complete physical first. $50.00 +each. I just want the shots,not their policy,but used to be able to get shots only.

Hey Ohio tractor guy, my 1st cousin is a large animal vet here in central MO. For some reason he quit small animals about 20 years ago. He was a 1967 graduate from MU. He kinda ecks out a living, but it's what he likes. Horses kinda filled the gap left when all the normal farmers got out of hogs.

I think the reason he left small animals was he is so tender hearted he cannot stand to see an animal die. The "hit by a car" ones got to him. Of course he still has to deal with the still born calves.

Nice visiting !!

Gene

Inflation has certainly caught up with my Vet. Maxidex at the Chemist $8.75 with prescription.
From the Vet.. $20.60.
Not sure if it's inflation or the AL Capone syndrome.

Tell them you will find a vet that will do what you want.A complete physical goes like this.Look in the dogs mouth, listen to his heart.Feel his nuts if he still has them.Look in his ears,take his temp.My last dog alway growled when he saw a rectal thermometer.