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A couple questions about a 4.5 mo old Lady

ladybug11

Active member
My crazy puppy is doing laps around the apartment as I write this...smh. She's so cute...mostly...

Ok, here are my questions:

1) Eye goop - Lady has a fair amt of discharge around her eyes, especially in the mornings. I've just been wiping the area with a warm paper towel (was advised not to use antibiotic treatments, especially since she's so young, but also because they just treat the symptom not the cause). Her mom had the same problem as a pup but grew out of it. The vet clipped the hair in that area short so it wouldn't build up so much, which helps in that sense but there's still plenty of weeping happening there. Anybody else have this problem? And do they grow out of it like the breeder seems to think? :?

2) Hiccups? Every now and then she seems to get the hiccups. Is that normal?? She also coughs every now and then like a cat hacking up a hairball. It's not charming.

3) This is by far the most disgusting thing she's ever done, but she started eating her poop a few days ago. She was having runny poos (much better now that I switched her to lamb kibble instead of chicken!) but she was interested in eating them. Gross. She had one poop in the apartment that she ate before I could clean it up. Normally she doesn't poo in the apartment, nor would she eat it....and a few days ago when she was off leash in my bf's backyard, we caught her eating her poop. SO gross and it can't be good for her, right? I told her "leave it" which she knows. In the apt I've been keeping a close eye on her...she's more or less potty trained so when I take her out for a bathroom break I don't give her the chance to eat her poo.
Yuck.:*gh:

4) Lastly she scarfs her food. Is that a choking hazard?? She actually inhales her food, I swear. Does that mean I'm not feeding her enough or is she just a fast eater by nature?
 
I can't say much specifically (and especially medically) about any of the things you mentioned and what may cause them, but I can say my pup (who just turned 1) did everyone of those things (including doing laps around my apartment that made me think she was hyperactive!) and the good news is she has grown out of all of them!

...Well, mostly. Her eyes are still goopy and we wash them out most mornings, too. Our vet told us that the running/tear staining goes along with teething and the older they get the better it gets (which we've noticed recently). She stopped hiccuping (and burping!) once she stopped eating so fast (although she still coughs now and then). We also thought it could be a bit of a choking hazard and eventually bought one of those feeder toys that forces them to slow down. It worked, but now she slows down on her own. And thankfully, the poop eating was a very brief phase. She still eats cat puke if she gets to the scene first, but I think that's about right for most dogs.

Enjoy your pup - she sounds like a typical Cavalier!
 
I don't have any feedback or advice on the first couple of points, but as for number 4, Sonny has always scarfed his food too! I was quite alarmed when we first got him because he ate so quickly. We ended up getting a treat dispenser for his food because that not only slows down his eating, but it also helps him burn energy while he is eating! He loves his little magic mushroom and always gets fed that way now. :). Here is the link if you want to see what I am talking about!

http://www.busybuddytoys.com/View.a.../toys/busybuddy/magicmushroomtoys/description
 
My vet told me the hacking cough was common when they are teething because they get a tickle in their throats. Bella used to get hiccups quite a bit. If Lady is scoffing her food it is probably the cause...I get hiccups when I eat too fast :eek:. Apparen't some dogs like poo - my dogs likes cat poop or "Kitty Rocka" I make sure she can't get to it!
 
Everything everyone said above is great. They will tear up a lot more when teething...but still expect tearing when they are older. I wipe Brookys a few times a day...the only thing to have your vet check for is that her eye lashes are not growing into her eyes (that sometimes happens with cavvies). A certain amount of tearing is normal though.

As for the eating the poo...it can be a puppy thing that they grow out of or it can be something they call coprophagia - which is a medical reason for why they are eating poop. Being a puppy, I would guess she is just eating it because and will grow out of it. A sure fire way to stop it? Find the stool in the yard and cover it with a hot sauce, such as Habanero sauce, that will be uncomfortable to eat but cause no real damage. After a bite or two, most dogs will decide it isn't worth it. Problem solved. This would mean for you to leave down the poop and actually let the dog eat it though, but once or twice with Tabasco on it and they won't ever go back.

Hiccups and coughing Brooky did more as a pup, not so much any more.

As for fast eating - I would get a food toy to slow her down. This is what Brooky eats out of: http://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-A-Lot-Interactive-Pet-Large/dp/B001JQLNB4 She uses the size small and eats nearly every meal this way :)
 
Thank you so much everyone! I didn't even know those food toys existed - I will definitely get her one :) I feel relieved that her crazy puppy behavior isn't just her. I think I'll keep her ;)
 
I've heard that adding pineapple to their diet makes the poop less desirable. A teaspoon worth should do it, but would need to be done daily to break the habit.
 
All good advice above. Pineapple does work but only if she has access to only her own poo. The hot sauce trick works well but you need to be fast in putting it on. Very good idea to keep yard extra clean while teaching her to leave it alone.

Bolting the food is very common also. I feed one of my dogs with a Kong wobbler. Takes him about 15 minutes to eat where he would have inhaled it in 15 seconds otherwise. I worry about bloat with him so try to slow down his food intake. Another trick I've seen is to spread the puppy's food around in a cupcake tin, and put tennis balls in the holes. Puppy will eat around the balls and it takes a good deal longer.

My Tess's eyes are always a bit watery. Vet says they are healthy. So I just wipe her face with a wet paper towel every now and then.

The running around I call the "zoomies!" A lot of fun unless you're trying to watch TV, read, or sleep! Most common in my dogs after a bath. Wet skin seems to set them off. :)
 
Oh my God, the zoomies. That made me laugh :D

Update: she is interested in poop so I am going to buy some hot sauce and try that little trick. I'm hesitant to give her pineapple juice right now only because - yay - her poo is finally back to being solid and dark brown!!!! Never thought I'd be so happy to see a turd in my life.
 
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