r b m Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I just moved into a new apartment, and besides a current bout of diarrhea, things have been going well. Since Saturday, I've noticed her stools being very loose, and she's had accidents the past two mornings. She's still very active and eating just fine. Should I be worried and take her to the vet? Or is there something I could do at home? Her annual is next week, but I could bump it up if needed. Also, I'm on the 3rd floor and have been leaving her out on the patio, which is rather large for an apartment. It faces north/northeast into a field so it is in the shade most of the day. I come home for lunch almost every day as well. I've been thinking for a while now about leaving her out there during the day, and I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts on this... thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Not unless it's fully fenced, and I mean a roof too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Not unless it's fully fenced, and I mean a roof too. Yes, the patio is completely enclosed, and not accessible from any other patio... except well, the one underneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I think what Julie is saying (and I might be wrong) is that the patio needs to be escape-proof and intruder-proof, as well as protected from the elements. I am not sure what you mean by it being accessible from the patio beneath - that would seem to imply that someone could access your patio from downstairs and your dog might be able to get to the patio downstairs herself. I guess I would tend to err on the side of caution and consider crating during the day if accidents or any other "damage" was an issue. And, I would assume that maybe the stress of moving could be the source of the looseness. If it is diarrhea (and not just a little bit of softening), I would tend to consider fasting her for 24 hours, and then resuming feeding with either her food in small increments (maybe with an addition of canned pumpkin for fiber and bulk - it's good at firming up stools) or boiled, skinless chicken breast/white rice/pumpkin, and gradually increasing the regular food as you decrease the cr&p mixture over a few days if the stool is and remains firm. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Yes, the patio is escape/intruder proof, most definitely. I wouldn't consider it if it wasn't. As for the the one below, you'd have to be pretty acrobatic and really want to get on my patio to get up there. You can't even see inside the patio from the ground, the railing is thick and inset 6''. Yeah, boiled chicken/rice seems to be a common thread, I'll give it a whirl. thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I would still have hesitations to leave a dog out in this situation. Maybe I'd consider it if I had a doggy door to inside and I can understand your temptation to want to do this. I would also tend to be quite concerned about any barking issues. My dogs that are not barkers/whiners/howlers can become noisy when left under the right (or shall I say, "wrong" in their minds) situation. Noise would not endear your dog to your neighbors and could result in your losing your lease. Just something to consider. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I would also tend to be quite concerned about any barking issues. My dogs that are not barkers/whiners/howlers can become noisy when left under the right (or shall I say, "wrong" in their minds) situation. Noise would not endear your dog to your neighbors and could result in your losing your lease. Just something to consider. This would be an issue for me, as well. Even if I owned the property, I would be concerned about neighbors complaining to Animal Control if the dog gets bored and decides to bark for an hour straight at a chipmunk or something. I also might consider it with a dog door, if I spoke with everyone in earshot and I knew that they would be cool with any potential barking episodes. Ideally, I would ask them to let me know if it ever happened so I could take away access to the patio in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxgloveBC Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I dont know if I could leave my dog outside all day, but I could maybe eventually work my way up to half days??? If its something that you think would really benefit your dog- Maybe start out by 30 min, then an hr, then gradually get a little longer. A half day or something wouldnt probably be that bad (unless extreme heat or weather conditions.) Especially since you come home for lunch it might be something doable for you. I just would be very hesitant to do it for a full day though. I second talking with neighbors as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I say buy a crate. It eliminates all of the problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 My family used to own a "husky/shepherd blend" who looked mysteriously like Foxy. (I'm not so sure she wasn't BC.) Early on, my father would leave her in the fenced back yard, but his students who lived in the neighborhood would always come to school and tell him the dog was loose. She was a digger. Eventually the back yard was dig-proofed, but the better solution they found was to leave the dog on the screened-in porch all day. She loved it out there - could watch the goings-on in the 'hood and sleep on a wicker couch. She never tried to get out of that area, though I guess she could have gone through a screen if she had wanted to. She was really thick-coated, and in the winter she would refuse to come indoors to sleep, even when it was well below freezing. She loved that porch. It was the uber-crate. I know your situation is different, with attached neighbors and a third-floor balcony. But I did have a good experience with porchifying a dog. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cool Dave Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Since you have a patio/balcony you might consider doing what I have set up for Sassy. Got myself a patio door pet door, so she has (had preJonah) free run of the house, and when she needs/wants to go out, I have a 'patio' that's cordened off with 6 sections of 6'x6' chain link panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'd worry about any diarrhea that goes beyond a day or two, unless you have switched foods recently. Has she been wormed? Could she have gotten into anything? I'd hold all food and rest her GI track for a day or two, and then get her to the vet asap, if that doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Unfortunately, a doggy door is not an option. It's either inside or out. You bring up a good point regarding barking, but Sienna isn't much of a barker. But I guess I'd never know if I weren't here. Her stool looked ok tonight, I'll skip feeding this evening and see how it goes. Hopefully, I won't have a present waiting for me tomorrow morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cool Dave Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm curious as to why a doggy door is not an option? Why must your dog be confined to one or the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Unfortunately, a doggy door is not an option. It's either inside or out. You bring up a good point regarding barking, but Sienna isn't much of a barker. But I guess I'd never know if I weren't here. Her stool looked ok tonight, I'll skip feeding this evening and see how it goes. Hopefully, I won't have a present waiting for me tomorrow morning. When I was living in my rented condo, I didn't have a doggy door either. So I had a wooden dowel custom cut to leave about 4 or 5 inches of space for the glass sliding door to open. The dogs could squeeze in and out of it to access the the balcony, but it was still as much a deterrent to human intruders (who couldn't really access my balcony unless they scaled the roof, which I suppose theoretically could have happened) as a doggy door would have been. I actually almost never left it open, because I am kind of paranoid, but it was a good system... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm curious as to why a doggy door is not an option? Why must your dog be confined to one or the other? Because it's not a sliding glass door, nor a wood door. It's a door with glass panes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 How high is the railing around the patio? One thing that would concern me that hasn't been mentioned would be worrying about her jumping over the railing from a 3rd floor balcony. Or if you put her on a tie out, hanging herself if she does try to jump over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 How high is the railing around the patio? One thing that would concern me that hasn't been mentioned would be worrying about her jumping over the railing from a 3rd floor balcony. Or if you put her on a tie out, hanging herself if she does try to jump over. The railing is a good 3-4 feet. My old house had a deck about 30+ft up. She won't try to jump over the railing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Any dog sufficiently motivated could jump 3-4' railing. From the fact that you've dismissed everyone's concerns, it sounds as if you've already made up your mind anyway. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r b m Posted July 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Everyone has brought up some good points, some I didn't even think about. I don't think anyone would mess with my dog up there nor call SPCA. A doggy door is not an option given the type of door leading to my patio, leaving the door cracked is though. I know my dog, she's not a barker and she's used to being high up. I can tell she knows falling would mean death. I guess I should have been more specific in that I was more worried about the heat and on the extreme paranoid side, fire. I know it's a very slight chance, but I feel she'd be better off being outside in case of one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 You know, I can appreciate you respondent's concerns about leaving a dog out on a deck all day, as I would not do it myself. I have a 650 square foot deck and the dogs are not allowed access to it when I am not present. But it's not because I'm afraid of them jumping overboard. My dogs have, their entire lives, respected a less-than-3-foot high babygate in the house. It keeps them out of yummy cat food and litter boxes in this apartment, and kept them confined to their own room in the last apartment. They have NEVER disrespected the gate, and any dog who has been taught not to jump a railing can probably be trusted in that regard as well. My dogs would never try and jump my deck railing. I just don't want them going out there and barking at stuff and pissing off my neighbors. Personally, if I were going to give the dog access to the outside, a couple of door stoppers to give her an in/out option would be my choice. I am just not a fan of leaving dogs outside all day. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 oops. double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 RDM, You have a point about training against jumping the baby gates. I have a "cat room" gated off, and Jimmy's bedroom is gated off as well. None of my dogs has ever jumped one of those gates for cat food or litterbox "treats." But let a sufficient motivator come along (fireworks or thunder) and those gates will be jumped by dogs looking for "safe places." Last night I let the dogs out when I got home from a friend's house. When I went to get them back in, I could not find Kat. I was beginning to get panicky since she wasn't even responding to her recall whistle when I remembered that a week or so ago, when I was rushing around in the paddocks behind the barn because it seemed as if a storm was headed our way, she had jumped through one of the barn windows (probably 4' off the ground on her side, with a significantly longer drop on the stall side) to be where I was. Sure enough, I went to the gate that lets me pass through the barn into that paddock and there she stood. Apparently someone was shooting off fireworks (I hadn't heard them) and Kat decided to go to the last "safe place" she had been with me, which meant leaping through a window that she normally would never jump through. None of the dogs goes through that window to go help themselves to sheep, but a scary noise certainly sent Kat through. Anyway, I agree with you about just not wanting to leave dogs outside all day--here it wouldn't be so much pissing the neighbors off as worrying about someone helping themselves to my dogs or yard destruction wrought by boredom, but I did want to point out that sometimes there are sufficient motivators to make a dog jump a barrier it normally wouldn't jump. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cool Dave Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Because it's not a sliding glass door, nor a wood door. It's a door with glass panes. Guess that clears it up! Thought you were saying it had to be in or out. ALTHOUGH, you could just build something with a pet door that would fill the space with the door cracked open about a foot or so. Guess maybe somowene else suggested that above? I'l assume it's a regular swing open door? Maybe install a some sort of screen/storm door with a pet door in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 My friend's lab jumped the railing from the second floor of a Red Roof Inn; fortunately she landed on the grass not the parking lot! My BC easily banks off our 48" chainlink fence to get to the agility equipment on the other side. We never leave her outside alone. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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