Ellie supported dog

[janie1]

I cannot believe how good little Ellie is when I have to clean her ears every morning. She knows when I get the cotton wool out what's coming and she looks at me as if to say oh mum do we have to. Reluctantly she will come to me and sits so still but she is hating every minute. The treat at the end makes it worthwhile.
She is very happy and settled now after 6 days with us but she cries quite alot. Not all the time but when she starts we don't know what she wants. She stares hard at us while she is crying. Has anybody else got a dog like this ? Our last dog Dylan was so quiet and hardly barked but Ellie is a barker especially if we put our coats on to take her out. That is understandable considering her history. Could it be attention seeking ? This is my first rescue dog and only have experience of 1 other dog. We try distracting her,playing ball etc but when she is in crying mode nothing works.

[jackie]

Ellie sounds so good about having her ears done, they seem to understand when you are trying to help them, don't they. I haven't really had a dog that cries although I suppose Ellie has had quite a few changes to deal with in the last couple of months, if I remember rightly she was fostered initially and then found her lovely new forever family. All dogs have their own communication methods and it will be just trying to understand which one means what.....not an easy thing to do! My two are completely different in asking for what they want and they change their tactics depending on what the needs is! Bella will whine if her ears are bad and she wants me to clean them, she shuffles when she wants the toilet. Maggie just scratches the patio door to be out or just sits and looks at me if it is anything else (at this point I have to go through a few things!).

Keep up the good work, I hope she is helping to heal your broken heart.

Jackie x

[Glenys]

Her ears may be painful it may be a good idea for another checkup soon.

Thank you for taking her home.

[janie1]

Her steroids were increased for 5 days Glenys and this is the fifth day. Tomorrow She is back to one a day but I will take her for another check up at the weekend. She hasn't scratched them since the second night here. She seems very happy though and has fitted in so well. I have a feeling it's a food thing. Now she is on dog food I think she misses human food and the vet said increasing the steroids will make her hungrier.
She is certainly helping to heal my broken heart and hopefully we are helping to heal hers.
Just been out for a walk and we met father Christmas going round the streets. She didn't seem that impressed.

[Willow]

Dogs (and Labs in particular) are very clever and Ellie may have worked out that the crying led to the offering of human food? Some owners seem to find it endearing when their dogs 'beg'..
I am ultra-vigilant with Toby's ears as we inherited him at aged 7 following years of untreated infections. Our vet says this has led to inner-ear scarring and he is now extremely hard of hearing. There isn't anything we can do to reverse that but I'll make damn sure that he doesn't suffer any pain. It took quite a while to get on top of his issues but we're there now and he's as happy as Larry.
Ellie probably needs a little more time to settle in and recognise that she's finally in her forever home. Your home sounds perfect for her - I'm so glad you found one another xx

[janie1]

Yes I think you could be right. The smell of our food could be the trigger. She is a delight and I am so glad she has moved in. It must be very strange for her and even could be missing her original owner. We have a long road to travel with Ellies ears for the rest of her life but I will make sure she never has to suffer any unnecessary pain...ever.
On the plus side I love to see her give a little skip when we are out walking. Every day since we got her she has had a different walk and she looks so happy sniffing away. Actually she hasn't cried too much tonight ( it's always in the evening ) and currently has fallen asleep across my feet. She probably knows father Christmas won't come til she's asleep.

[Eeyorebev]

Hope it is just a food thing, prob is as you know how clever some labs are.
But sounds like she is settling in well, so hope you have a great christmas