A big Hello from Tennessee!

S

sheeshkabelle

Forums Novice
Hi there!
My family recently adopted a four year old Sheltie named Tiger. (We decided to not change his name, it sort of suits him.) We did some research before we chose him, but I am still full of questions.
Tiger came from a home that did not appreciate him. The person bought him (paid loads of money for him) left him outside, didn't bathe or groom him and never paid attention to him.
Tiger came to us in sore need of a bath and grooming. Most of his fur had to be cut off because it was too matted to brush/comb though. He was highly insulted over this new hair cut, and voiced his displeasure. After getting all clean and brushed we bought him home. He's happy here. I have four children that give him all the love and attention any dog could want and he's my big baby. After two weeks he's already learned some commands and is very well behaved.
Now for my questions:
He has his first vet appointment in two weeks. The previous person didn't have most of his records, just the shots and neutering Tiger had as a puppy. -What should I expect at his appointment? (I've never owned a dog before!)
Things I want to discuss with the Vet, but everyone's feed back is appreciated!
-I am currently feeding him Pedigree dry food, like he's always been fed, is there something else better for him?
-Even after a bath and being brushed every other day, he still has that 'wet dog' smell. What can I do? I've read Sheltie's shouldn't smell.
-He seems to be itching/scratching/chewing a lot. He's starting to chew the hair off one of his back legs. I've put the 'hot spot' lotion on it, but it doesn't seem to help. He does not have fleas (one thing the other person did was keep him flea treated) There isn't hair loss anywhere else. What could be causing this?
-He has some funky looking stuff inside his ears. What can I do for him at home?

Thank you in advance! I know I'm asking a lot!
 
Welcome to your new boy! Our Shelties have always been fantastic family dogs.

I think the answer to all of your questions is the quality of the dog food you are feeding. It is really not good at all.

The first thing I would do is try a grain free dog food. If you go through our Commercial Food Threads, you can find oodles and oodles of information regarding what to feed your dog.

There is also a website that people often use www.dogfoodanalysis.com

I feed the brand of food Taste of the Wild and I rotate through the different varieties. You can find Taste of the Wild at most pet food stores, and The Tractor Supply also carries it.

Good luck and I can't wait to hear more about Tiger.

Dani
Moderator.
 
I would leave his ears to the vet or ask them how.

I agree swap foods and you might really be surprised, Sca is the least doggy smelling dog I have ever seen even wet. There is a lot of decent foods but Sca also eats TOW (and likes it).

With no records I think they will load him up on shots. Personally I would try to get them to space it out over a couple of appointments to reduce the shock to his system. Also consider getting him chipped so if he escapes the odds of seeing him again goes up. Again you can put this off if you want to reduce initial cost.

4 kids and a great home congratulations on hitting the jackpot Mr Tiger :cool:

Oops and the always asked question. What part of TN. If we keep getting new members maybe one day we can hold a deep south Sheltie gathering to complement the Southern Sheltie Gathering at MBFrench's
 
Definitely ask the vet to examine his ears. If he has a fungus infection, that could be part of the smelliness. He sounds great. I love hearing that the kids are excited about him and giving him lots of attention. Welcome!
 
Welcome. Sounds like Tiger has found a great home and family. Have fun with him. Let us know how the vet visit went. I once had a sheltie named Max that was rescued. I had him for three years, and he kept an infection in his ears. Ask the vet to check them, then you may have to keep them treated if he has an infection.
 
So happy that Tiger has found a forever home! I just rescued a 5 year old puppy mill mama myself in June. I am so glad you all seem to be doting on him - most Shelties will thrive on that - but be warned - they CAN be manipulative!

I grew up in Tennessee and have roots in Memphis and a little town about 100 miles east on I-40 called Lexington (also Parsons and Decaturville).

I fed my older guys (now sadly departed) Pedigree for many years - the Sheltie lived to age 17 and the Border Collie to age 15. While I agree with my fellow Shelie enthusiasts that there are better foods out there now than there were back in the 1990's, I still don't think Pedigree is a bad food. I also fed Bil-Jack fresh frozen while my guys were being actively shown. When I got Bela in June, I found all the "new" foods out there positively bewildering! I just decided to go with a plain old grain-free kibble, Wellness Core Original Formula. Bela's not too keen on it, but she will eat it. I absolutely think there are better things to worry about (like those ears).

I would definitely have the vet take a look at the ears. Could be a fungus or ear mites. When I lived in TN, I had problems with my dogs and ear mites every summer! It could be contributing to the doggie odor issue.

You are quite right that Shelies greatly dislike having their coats cut down. My Bela was completely shaved several months before I got her, and is still somewhat embarassed by her short coat. Shelties are a double-coated breed, meaning that they have a long "permanent" layer, and a dense, fluffy, shorter layer undercoat that sheds. Tiger may have a lot of "thatched" undercoat still waiting to be brushed out. It will take MANY brushings to get to the "real" dog underneath. Also, Tiger is probably blowing coat (seasonal shedding) right now, which makes it worse. Have the kids work on him (gently!) with a pin brush and make it a contest to see how much fluff they can find! Tiger will be MUCH more comfortable. (It took me two months to get Bela's coat in good condition, and she's still growing out.)

Congratulations on choosing the very best breed of dog ever! You will never, ever regret it!
 
Update on Mr. Tiger. I've been so busy I forgot to post!
He went to the vet and had his distemper/parvo and Rabies vaccinations. He did have both bacterial and fungal infections in both ears. The Vet cleaned out his ears and gave me ointment and solution to clean his ears twice a day for two weeks. THAT was an adventure. He hated every second of it.
He was also having a skin allergy to the flea medication I put on him! Poor boy! The Vet gave him a shot of benadryl and I started using Advantage for the flea control and so far no issues. The Vet agreed the skin allergy and infected ears were probably making him smell bad.
I knew it was fall and he was probably shedding, but I was brushing out/vacuuming up so much fur, I was surprised he had any on his body!
I weaned him off Pedigree and he's now eating the adult lamb and rice from Blue Buffalo. Yes, it's expensive, but he seems to eat less of it than the Pedigree and his smelliness and coat are much better! He isn't scratching and shedding so much.
We took him camping with us last weekend, and he was the hit of the camp ground and was a perfect gentleman. He had a fun time herding all the little cub scouts while they were running and playing.
I was never a dog person, but Tiger just seemed to tug at my heart strings. He's the perfect dog for us and we can't imagine life with out him! Now if I can just break him from chasing our cat! lol
 
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