Jump to content
BC Boards

Went Back To See Farmer Today


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 196
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

She's a very fortunate girl to be in your household, and receiving lots of good care.

 

Very best wishes!

 

Thanks Sue, its taken a lot of time and Perseverance to get her, as i first met Nel last May when i went back to the farm to visit, and Nel wouldn't even come down off the hills, she would run towards the farmer when he called her but would back off at about 50 ft away and wouldn't come any closer.....

 

Thats when he asked me if i wanted her, as he thinks she's been punished for working sheep too hard and won't come to anybody or go near sheep anymore......he asked if i wanted her, i said would think about it (really did want her but had to ask my wife obviously) and when i phoned him to confirm that we would have her, he changed his mind and said he's paid a lot of money out for her and will see if she improves, then finally on Friday he texted me and told me i could have her - nearly a year on! :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a thought - that "strong eye" is quite possibly due to the fact that her world was just turned upside down and she is a quite nervous about the whole thing. I imagine that after a few weeks of patience and TLC from you that she'll relax and her expression will soften up a bit. I'd really suggest just giving her a spot in your house where she can sit and watch the world go by and figure out her new life. As she gets more and more comfortable she'll most likely start interacting more and more with you and your family. Good luck with your new family member!

 

Hi Maralynn,

 

This is Nel at the far left of both pictures in the back of the farmers landrover, this was taken about 16 months ago, she seems to have always had that stare....maybe she has always been frightened, what a shame....

 

home%20012.1.jpg

home%20009.1.jpg

home%20007.1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd really suggest just giving her a spot in your house where she can sit and watch the world go by and figure out her new life. As she gets more and more comfortable she'll most likely start interacting more and more with you and your family. Good luck with your new family member!

 

Nel has taken up refuge under the table at present, she has stayed there all night, we got a bed for her yesterday before we went to collect her (the red one in the picture) and have put that under the table for her.

 

As you quite rightly say, she sits and lays down under the table and just watches the world go by at the moment.

 

I laid under the table with her for a little while last night, but Sam is so jealous and keeps coming between us!

 

She was watching how Sam was laying with me having his belly stroked and i think she realised that i wasn't hurting him and therefore wouldn't hurt her, she came towards me with her head/nose and looked like she was going to lick my face but backed off at the last minute, obviously it will take time for her to get her confidence back.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dogs normally eat anything that appeals to them, and a dead sheep would be absolutely yummy! They are opportunists.

 

Giving her the "den" under the table with her bed and just letting her get accustomed to life with your family is a wise idea. Don't push things with her, let her set the pace she is comfy with in terms of making friends and contact with folks, and let Sam know he's still your boy and has nothing to worry about. Since they are male and female, most likely at some point, they will realize that they can be best friends and have a great deal of fun, and that you have two hands to pet, scratch, and stroke them both at the same time.

 

Poor girl - too bad she hasn't yet realized that she's in a very good situation now. I think her tentative attempt at a lick on your face shows she's going to warm up and reach out, but just doesn't have the trust yet to make it all the way. That will come with a little time and your kindnesses to her (and seeing how happy Sam is).

 

Lucky dog!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let her settle in on her schedule, and always have her on a lead outside. She is not "yours" yet (in her mind) and she could take off running.

 

Exactly what i have been thinking, i said to my wife that i want to get her chipped and a name tag on her collar, and that i won't be letting her off the lead for a good few weeks until i've built up a bond between us and i'm sure she has a strong re-call....

 

Also in the process of organising her health insurance as we speak, have a price from the same insurance company that i have Sam with for £25.95 per month up to 6K per year every year with no 'per condition' or 'until expiry of the policy year and will then be classed as a pre-existing condition and excluded from terms' clause like some other insurers offer!

 

I'm waiting for the farmer to come back to me to confirm whether she has had her dog flu/parvo injections........if he's not sure it won't do any harm her having another shot will it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Maralynn,

 

This is Nel at the far left of both pictures in the back of the farmers landrover, this was taken about 16 months ago, she seems to have always had that stare....maybe she has always been frightened, what a shame....

I don't see fright in her eyes in these photos. She just looks like she's got a typical border collie stare. The other dogs seem to have it too. In the first photo you posted of Nel (under the table) you can see the whites of her eyes, and her posture appears to show concern. To me that photo is different from the ones of the dogs in the back of the truck. But in any case, as others have said it will take her a while to settle, so just give her time and don't push her too far. Sam's jealousy can work in your favor as Nel will be able to observe all the attention he gets. My first border collie (a rescue) was very fearful of people. The BC x Aussie I had loved *everybody.* I was able to use Indy's personableness to encourage Willow to seek attention from people too.

 

As for your question regarding shots, I fall on the side of minimal vaccination. I'd wait to hear from the farmer, unless you have reason to believe she's never received a vaccine.

 

J.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also in the process of organising her health insurance as we speak, have a price from the same insurance company that i have Sam with for £25.95 per month up to 6K per year every year with no 'per condition' or 'until expiry of the policy year and will then be classed as a pre-existing condition and excluded from terms' clause like some other insurers offer!

 

Mine's half that with the similar cover (£7k pa though). Yours will be more expensive being down south where vet fees cost more but I'd be surprised at double.

 

Our BC is covered by this

 

http://www.axa.co.uk/insurance/pet

 

Don't take the farmer's word for it if he says she's had her vaccinations - insist on him sending you her record card.

 

Remember that if she isn't up to date with her vaxes she won't be covered under your insurance policy if she catches a disease that she could have been immunised against.

 

Pam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She is beautiful!!! Lucky her and lucky you. I too can't believe that the farmer let her get into such horrible conditions. The back of the truck looks a little rough in my opinion. I'm just glad you have her home now and she's safe. I think the photo of her under the table just looks like she's a little stressed and not quite sure what's going on. The fact that she approached you to possibly lick your face shows amazing progress in a very short period of time, in my opinion. I agree with just giving her some space and allowing her to feel comfortable at her own pace. Also, minimal vaccines I think are best, I would wait until you know her status for sure. What a lovely girl, I think she's going to blossom under your care. Congratulations and thanks for the photos!! Valorie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see fright in her eyes in these photos. She just looks like she's got a typical border collie stare. The other dogs seem to have it too. In the first photo you posted of Nel (under the table) you can see the whites of her eyes, and her posture appears to show concern. To me that photo is different from the ones of the dogs in the back of the truck.J.

 

I agree.

Any slight apprehension there may be in 1 or 2 of the truck photos could simply be because a lot of dogs don't like having a camera pointed at them - it obscures the face, makes a funny noise and probably flashes as well.

 

Pam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok I've heard back from the farmer and he said that she hasn't had ANY vaccines in the time that he has had her, so i've phoned the vets and it will be £39.95 for the first set and then £39.95 for the second set two weeks later.

 

I also asked the vets for Dog Shampoo, she said they don't sell it, only medication shampoo if prescribed by a vet, but she said to purchase some 'Baby' shampoo which will be fine....

 

Also, some good news!!

 

Mel came out from under the table to see me when i came in from work tonight!!!

 

I then went into the kitchen and pulled the remains of chicken from its carcass and gave it to her, she ate the whole lot!

 

I then poured some milk into a bowl and she drank the whole lot, then poured another bowl and she drank that as well.

 

My wife has just said something very interesting. She went to give her a doggy biscuit, and she doesn't seem to know how to take something out of your fingers, as she takes the whole hand (albeit very gently and slowly) at the same time! Do you think it is possible that she's never been given anything from hand to mouth before?

 

We are just about to have dinner and will then put her in the bath and give her a good old clean up with some baby shampoo, and we've also got some baby conditioner that we're going to put on afterwards.

 

Will take another photo of her when she's been cleaned up.

 

P.S. I think the main reason why she is in such a messy state is for one she lived in his yard (all his dogs live in the yard under his vehicles and trailers - not his house) and also he couldn't get to her to clean her! She wouldn't come within 50ft of him, he seems to care for his animals, and seems a really nice man.

 

By the way forgot to mention, but when i see him last night, he said that if we have any pups (i.e., Sam and Nel) can he have one as he would like an offspring of Toss (Sams Dad), i mentioned that Sam has now been Neutered, and he said that was a shame, and then he said that we can come back up in the summer and bring Sam with us and we can see if Sam is interested in sheep, see if he has the same working ability as his dad has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine's half that with the similar cover (£7k pa though). Yours will be more expensive being down south where vet fees cost more but I'd be surprised at double.

 

Our BC is covered by this

 

http://www.axa.co.uk/insurance/pet

 

Don't take the farmer's word for it if he says she's had her vaccinations - insist on him sending you her record card.

 

Remember that if she isn't up to date with her vaxes she won't be covered under your insurance policy if she catches a disease that she could have been immunised against.

 

Pam

 

Hi Pam, just got a price, £20.81 per month!

 

That policy seems similar to the one i have for Sam, as i spent a lot of time investigating the inclusions/exclusions, as a lot of the plans available exclude a condition in the next policy year onwards once the limit of cover has been reached. However the AXA policy doesn't appear to be like that although i haven't read the terms entirely...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Pam, just got a price, £20.81 per month!

 

That policy seems similar to the one i have for Sam, as i spent a lot of time investigating the inclusions/exclusions, as a lot of the plans available exclude a condition in the next policy year onwards once the limit of cover has been reached. However the AXA policy doesn't appear to be like that although i haven't read the terms entirely...

 

I thought there must be a catch so I rang AXA to check and yes, it is what it appears to be. They were very helpful so I'd advise you to do the same if you're interested.

I was told it was cheap because you can only do it on line.

They were recommended on several dog forums. (No, I'm not an agent - just a customer.)

Haven't had to claim yet so can't say anything about that side of it.

 

I also asked the vets for Dog Shampoo, she said they don't sell it, only medication shampoo if prescribed by a vet, but she said to purchase some 'Baby' shampoo which will be fine....

 

She may need more than one bath if she's really stinky.

Simple Solutions Deodorising Shampoo is good, but I've also used a Bob Martins one from the supermarlet which was fine.

I wouldn't normally recommend any pet products from a supermarket but that was an exception.

 

If you haven't done it already, try to groom or cut out the matts before you bath her as bathing won't get rid of them.

 

I then poured some milk into a bowl and she drank the whole lot, then poured another bowl and she drank that as well.

 

Go easy on the milk. It's quite common for it to upset a dog's digestive system and they don't need it. Stress can also give them the runs and she is under stress with the move so I'd play safe with what you give her for the time being.

 

Do you think it is possible that she's never been given anything from hand to mouth before?

 

Quite possible, but then again it could just be that the biscuit wasn't tempting enough for her to overcome her wariness of you.

 

I'd feed her seperately from Sam to start with - I always do with a new dog. Food and toys are the common trigger points for squabbles until a new dog finds its feet. In any event, it will be less stressful for her to be given somewhere to eat where she won't be bothered by anyone.

 

Pam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you haven't done it already, try to groom or cut out the matts

 

Note: If you decide to cut mats out, be *very* careful. Most folks grab the mat and pull it up from the skin and then cut, but because the skin has been pulled up too, they end up cutting the dog. But even if you aren't pulling on the mat when you try to cut it out, you could still accidentally cut skin....

 

J.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find the easiest way to safely remove a mat is to gently work a coarse steel comb under it, then cut above the comb, starting about half way down the mat and cut across the mat until the comb comes free. If you have the comb between the skin and the scissors it protects the dog from being cut. Work the comb in very gently - mats tend to twist and the skin under them can be very tender. Mat removal should be done before the bath, as they tend to tighten up with the washing and drying. If you can't work a comb under the mat, paint it with olive oil. It will make it easier to see what's what, and makes it easier to get the comb in.

 

The hair behind the ears can be very long and fine. Use extra caution there, as the skin in that place is thin and very flexible, which makes it all to easy to cut the dog.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've bathed Nel tonight, she looks better, but her hair is still so dull looking and dry to the touch.

 

We had to empty the bath half way through, as the water was black, then refilled, and then started again...

 

When we took her out of the bath, she poo'd excessively all over the bathroom floor, it was really really bad diarrhoea......however we have hard flooring in most of the house and it is therefore not a problem with cleaning up. :rolleyes:

 

She has also had really terrible smelling burps since we picked her up yesterday, i can't really explain what they smell like, but they are terrible....

 

Two things, she didn't go to the toilet for a no.2 at all yesterday, the first one she did was this evening when we took her out of the bath.

 

I don't know whether the burping has something to do with the sheep she ate yesterday?

 

I also don't know if the diarrhoea had something to do with the 2 bowls of milk i gave her last night (as she wouldn't drink any water) and the two bowls of milk i gave her tonight, plus the chicken off the bone tonight?

 

I realise milk isn't the best thing for dogs, but i was concerned last night that she wasn't drinking and hadn't drank since we picked her up yesterday at 17:30, so i was trying what i could to get her to drink something.

 

She seems fine in herself, she has just walked up to me and put her two front feet up on my knee standing up on her hind legs looking at me in my face, and she is walking around the house now and not spending as much time under the table.

 

She is also eating and drinking now, but has just asked to go out into the back garden and i went out with her and watched her as she sat down and made a terrible blowing off noise/wind noise whilst her bowls opened up and she had diarrhoea again, what do you guys think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm guessing you overdid it with the milk. You might want to try to give her some canned pumpkin, if you can find any. Otherwise, just give her a rest (no food; that is, skip a feeding) and then start up again with something bland like rice and boiled chicken.

 

In the future, if you have a dog that won't drink, try adding some chicken or beef broth (low sodium) to the water. It'll make the water taste good and you won't have to deal with the lactose intolerance problem you've got going now.

 

J.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

terrible blowing off noise/wind noise whilst her bowls opened up and she had diarrhoea again, what do you guys think?

 

I would say, no more milk! IMO, ideally she should be on the same diet she was on at the farm or simular and gradually get changed to the same diet as Sam. It's not unusual for dogs to not drink for a day or two when arriving at a strange place or travelling, especially if it is cool and they have not been working.

 

Eating the dead ewe should not have bothered her, and I suspect that she diets regularly on the bone pile along with the other dogs if they have access. Give her time for her bowels to settle being sure not to give her anything too strange from her old diet. I don't know what your biscuits are made of, but over here you can throw a dogs system off feeding a bunch of treats when they are not used to them.

 

Also, I would not let her come up and put her feet on you, to me it is a sign of her asserting dominance, she does not sound like a tramatized scared dog to me.

 

Deb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds like the milk then, god that is a relief.

 

She is absolute skin and bones honestly, i don't know how much she was eating in a day, but it couldn't have been much.

 

She doesn't seem to like dried food what Sam eats, so i went to the local shop this evening and bought some Pedigree Chum, i know people advise against tinned meat, but i guess it won't hurt in the short term so that she can put a bit of meat on her frame, you can literally feel every bone in her body......

 

I suppose the Chum is going to cause her more tummy problems tonight then by the sounds of things?

 

She has certainly perked up since we've bathed her tonight, she is now walking around the house with Sam and looks really alert and lively, she even stood up tall when Sam had a sniff around her earlier, she had her chin raised and her rear end raised looking confident......

 

I can even walk towards her now and she doesn't run away, instead she goes into a down position with her chin on the floor but eyes wide open looking at me, but she doesn't look scared.....

 

She is presently laying down next to my feet with her head up watching me type on the keyboard! :rolleyes:

 

She had just burped again and it stinks, is this normal as Sam doesn't do that and he's a bloke!!!

 

She has been burping since we picked her up yesterday from the farmer!

 

Edit: What would you recommend for her coat to make it look health and shiny? Sams glows with depth of colour and shine, i understand he is a smooth coat, but i've seen long coated collies with much nice coats, Nels looks like a really old dogs hair and she's only 2.5 years old...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, I would not let her come up and put her feet on you, to me it is a sign of her asserting dominance, she does not sound like a tramatized scared dog to me.

 

Deb

 

If you see how she 'was' i.e., wouldn't even come near anybody when on the farm, and how she is now, i don't mind her feeling a little dominant if it will bring her out of her shell a little, i can always calm her down a little once she settles in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...