Category: Animal House
HI, I just wonderded if any other dog owners have this problem. My guide dog Luke doesn't like watter for some reason. Last week he stood on something and hurt his paw. He went to the vets tonight and the vet brought out a bit of buckfast bottle from his paw. Now thevet told me to bathe Luke's paw after he has been for a walk. But the problem is he doesn't like watter. Does anyone else have this problem?
Greetings Chocolate Girl,
I suppose you are saying Luke doesn't enjoy getting his paws wet with water, and this would be understandable ~ except here I gather the vet is requesting that Like's paw be bathed and kept free from dirt and infection.
I wish I could advise and sorry to say I don't know what to tell you..
A concern I do have though is that Luke is getting enough water into his system, I guess I am trying to say is that Luke is good about taking in water to drink, I trust. Water is beneficial to good health.
All the best thots going out for all comforting paws.smile
Connie ~ Grace
Yeah, I had a similar problem with my former guide dog. Well, it wasn't really a problem, just odd. Sometimes she'd go for a day without drinking any water, which really got me worried. She also showed absolutely no interest in swimming or getting wet, which is weird for a Lab. Even when it was really hot out and I would encourage her to take a dip she wouldn't go near the water. I guess this was a good thing since she was a guide dog and all, but I felt bad: she was a black Lab and got really overheated. She's living in Florida with her new handler now. Wonder how's she's reacting to the heat down there.
Maybe Luke isn't worried about the water more likely he's worried about the pain from having his paw handled and bathed.Patience is the key, and a dog's saliva is very effective at cleaning wounds,so don't try to stop him when he licks at the paw, it will save you from having to bathe it so often.
Thank you all. Luke just hates watter that's all. But saying that he had two big drinks of watter today. I think it is just he doesn't like getting wet.
He's in the wrong country, smile we'er in the middle of the autumn monsoon
I wish I could offer some good help to you, but sadly, I can't. While I don't have a guide dog, I do have two little house dogs, and they get bathed even though they don't particularly like water. I've got a different problem with water. Everytime my dogs drink water, they drink two fast, and end up bringing it back up. Not all the time, but some of the time.
My dog Sheila didn't like bathing either. The poor thing would cringe if she knew we were going to put her in the bath. I've heard that dogs are born with the ability to swim, but I guess some of them just don't like being in water.
With great respect I have to disagree with letting the dog keep licking paws. I had a dog who developed a rather unpleasant sore from doing this and when I took her to the vet he confirmed that it was from accessive licking. Perhaps a little licking is okay but when they start they seem to enjoy it so much that it becomes a bad habit that is hard to start. About the paw, perhaps she just doesn't like having her paws handled or knows that something is going to happen to it and pulls away. I had a dog in my most recent class a shepard who if the paw was touched or handled the dog would pull away quickly. This of course made it hard to put those wonderful boots on. I would agree that patients is the key.
My current pet, Jackson, has some sort of vitamin deficiency that causes his toenails to fall off. When this is about to happen, he'll start licking his foot. So, after we had to take him in to the animal hospital for some surgery on his right front paw, the doctor made him wear a plastic cone over his head. Just the sight of it sends him running for cover. At least the cone helps him heal faster.