Rescuing an adult cairn into a home with another adult cairn - questions!

[Rawrkats]

Hi Everybody!

 

It's been quite some time since I was able to share my cairn journey with you all. Boo is now about 2 and a half years old, and has grown into quite a handsome lovely fellow. He's been an only dog for the whole time, but I have been thinking for over a year now to get another cairn, mostly for him to have a buddy, and also for me to get an extra dose of cute.

 

Puppies are great and all, but my heart is screaming at me to rescue instead. I've been wanting to rescue for a few months but our local shelter rarely ever has cairns. This past Saturday, I went in and laid eyes on Mojo.

 

He's approximately 5 years old and he came in missing a whole lot of hair on his legs. Being that I read nearly every thread created here back when I adopted Boo, I knew chances are the hair loss is from fleas or food. Turns out I was correct in that assumption. He's currently undergoing a 'chemical smelly' bath twice a week while he's at the humane society. They also feed him hypoallergenic food. His hair has started to grow back in the month he's been at the shelter. His hair feels like... hmm, you know when you use really poopy shampoo/conditioner and your hair feels gummy afterwards? That's what his hair feels like right now. Even more motivation to rescue him and give him a great oatmeal bath and some hardcore cuddles and belly rubs.

 

Anyhow, the point of this post...yesterday, I put an adoption hold on him ( just in case that other cairn fanatic that lives in vancouver doesn't snatch him! ) and I'm taking Boo for the dog meet today. I am SO TERRIFIED that Boo and Mojo will not get along.  Boo's a great dog, but he's a cairn, and a terrier, and well, you all know what that can entail when you meet a new dog for the first time.

 

Is there any advise, any surefire way, I can make sure Boo and Mojo love each other so we can bring Mojo home today?

Edited November 19, 2014 by Rawrkats

[hheldorfer]

It's wonderful to hear from you again!  Sounds like Boo has developed into a great companion.

 

You are a kind and generous person to be considering Mojo as a new addition to the family.  Some of Mojo's difficulties may be caused by stress, too.  A safe, secure home would certainly do a world of good for him.  I hope the meeting goes well.  Keep us updated!

[Rawrkats]

Has mange been ruled out? Because there is a form of it that is contagious to other dogs (if I remember correctly). It's treatable though. The vet has to do a skin scraping to diagnose. Proceed with caution.

 

Mange has been ruled out. Scrapings were done. No mites, no mange. Hair loss was attributed to Skin Allergy to environment/flea/food ( on the dog's notes at the society ) I am confident I can conquer the skin allergy and get him a fluffier butt for christmas. Thank you so much for your informative post. I have been reading for the last couple hours and have gained much more insight to some solutions. I've still got about an hour to burn before the Humane Society opens, so I'm going to do some more reading. Thank you again!

 

It's wonderful to hear from you again!  Sounds like Boo has developed into a great companion.

 

You are a kind and generous person to be considering Mojo as a new addition to the family.  Some of Mojo's difficulties may be caused by stress, too.  A safe, secure home would certainly do a world of good for him.  I hope the meeting goes well.  Keep us updated!

 

In September, we moved into a great big house with a great big fenced in back yard. Boo loves his back yard, and the squirrels and birds! He is just the love and light of everyone's lives here. Grandma and Grandpa have come to live with us since October, and they both just love him to pieces. Grandpa is a notorious "Cat Guy" but you can hear him giving Boo great lovin's as he 'superboos' ( hind legs kicked back ) over the back of the couch. He even bought him special momma-approved made in USA healthy dog treats so he can treat Boo occasionally. It's just amazing how Boo brings out the love in everyone.

[Rawrkats]

If it was me, I would insist on taking him to a vet of my choice, at my expense, for an examination. Before I committed to adopting him. I just want to make sure that you know what you're in for.

 

I would love to do this! I wasn't sure if it were possible to request that though.

[shergry]

Great that you have such a big heart as to want to adopt.  Could you possibly get the two together on neutral ground to see how the first meeting would go?

Also, I have a Cairn with Autoimmune Disease...so I know about hair loss.  Went to a Dermatologist and after just 3 months she has gotten most of her hair back and more weight put back on.  Read up on all potential problems, as it looks like you do.

To get your worries put away...maybe ask the shelter for a visit at your house to see how it goes.

Prayers to you and Mojo and of course Boo!!  May you ALL find/or be in a happy healthy home.

p.s. Stress, food, environment are all factors to hair loss.

[Malcolm's Dad]

Hope it goes well and you bring home an addition to your family. Not sure if Mojo has the seasonal late summer allergy problem like Malcolm and other Cairns have. Malcolm gets itchy and pulls all the hair out from his butt and rear legs. I noticed Mojo is missing hair from his front legs too so maybe it isn't the same problem.

 

If the first meeting doesn't go well give them a chance and let the shelter people know terriers can be aggressive if they don't know that already. Meeting on neutral ground as Shergry recommends is a great suggestion. It could take a while. You have the patience. I hope the shelter doesn't make a quick judgment. Being in a strange place like a shelter might cause Mojo to be defensive.

 

Wishing your family and Mojo the best of luck.

[hheldorfer]

 

If the first meeting doesn't go well give them a chance and let the shelter people know terriers can be aggressive if they don't know that already. Meeting on neutral ground as Shergry recommends is a great suggestion. It could take a while. You have the patience. I hope the shelter doesn't make a quick judgment. Being in a strange place like a shelter might cause Mojo to be defensive.

Malcolm's dad is right.  Neutral ground is the best place for an initial meeting.  If the meeting has to take place at the shelter, outdoors is definitely preferable.  Meeting inside the shelter would probably put *both* Mojo and Boo on the defensive - not the mood you want for this situation. 

 

Wherever the two of them meet, remember to keep both your voice and body calm.  Let them sniff and greet; don't be surprised if there is some growling and posturing.  They will be testing each other, so don't lose hope if the initial meet and greet isn't filled with love.  They are, after all, Terriers.

[Sam I Am]

if you do adopt him, I would to start off, feeding both dogs in separate areas...crates? Also hide all of Boo's toys and treats for now.

how wonderful if it all turns out well!

[Hillscreek]

So great to hear how well Boo is doing. Wonderful that he is a loving 'grand dog'!

Agree with above.Meet on neutral ground. Expect no matter how that goes if Mojo comes home with you it may take a while till they settle together. Who knows what's in Mojo's past besides his skin problems. Keep them apart unless they can be supervised. babygate, xpen or whatever.

Loving patience and sensible care will do the job. Sounds like you have both.

Would be nice if they agree to let you take him to your vet before youfinally accept him.

Very best wishes.

Please let us know how things go.

[Zekey's Mom]

Just be aware that it's not all sunshine and roses… I felt much as you did when Zekey was 2. I adopted him at age 1, and had such a wonderful experience, I wanted to get him a buddy. I adopted a 7.5 yo Cairn (although they told me he was 5) - Gavin. He and Zekey get along ok, but me, not so much. I do believe I've provided the best home and care for Gavin, but I sometimes think that I should have just stuck with Zekey. MUCH less stress on me. MUCH easier to walk 1 dog than 2, and the vet bills??? Yikes! 

 

But, that's me. You may have a good support system and can handle everything much better than I did. I have no doubt Mojo would be the luckiest dog in the world if you adopted him… I just hope you end up being the luckiest owner. Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.

[pkcrossley]

there will be challenges but you have such a great attitude, you may be just the type to pull it off. most problems, if there are any, will be temporary, the sort of cairn push and shove that we all understand. if there is prolonged tension (which could also not be too surprising, develop a technique for keeping them separate at mealtimes, and when you are out of the house. if boo doesn't sleep on the bed, so much the simpler; otherwise, try crates at night. i hope you are one of the lucky ones with no bumps. but if you are more like everybody else, keep reading the threads here from the huge crowd who have successfully managed two (or three!) cairn households. best of luck to you all!

[Sam I Am]

I know I would be scared also. It's part of what is keeping me from getting another Cairn. The house is peaceful, ROSIE is content, but having said that, when we brought ROSIE home, Jock was surprisingly well behaved. But of course she was just 8weeks old, had the smarts to flip over on her back every time she crossed the line that Jock didn't agree with. And she was female. Even as an adult she was wise to let Jock rule the pack. Two adult males who don't know each other might be a totally different story.

Just checked out your web page. How did it go? Poor we soul, I hope it does. He seems like a loving wonderful dog that needs a loving home. Bless you.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Terrier lover

[Malcolm's Dad]

Waiting for some news. Did Mojo come home with you?

[Rawrkats]

Mojo is home with us =D He's housebroken, he knows a couple hand & voice commands, and he doesn't want to leave my side.

 

Boo and Mojo got along great during the meet. It wasn't until I loaded Mojo in the car that Boo realized this wasn't just a play date. He growled a little bit, but by the time I got home, both had their heads hanging out a window. They are doing really well, feeding is a little difficult, trying to get one fed, while the other waits. Keeping them separated while that happens.

 

Poor Mojo and his itchies make me feel so bad! He's been on a Ketochlor Shampoo bath since he got into the humane society. Mondays are the bath day but last night we couldn't fall asleep due to his licking/chewing. I gave him 12.5mg of benadryl and then an oatmeal/aloe vera bath. Within 45mins he had settled down and fell sleep.

 

So far he will not be left outside for any amount of time on his own. Boo likes to go out back and chase the birds. Mojo, however, will go out the door and turn and watch me, if I am not coming through too, he will come right back inside.

 

I bought a crate to put him in last night, so that he would feel safe/he wouldn't potty all over the house. Instead, my fiance wanted to take a gamble and told me to let him hang out with the crate door open. Boo is a foot-sleeper, Mojo is a head-sleeper. He jumped right up on the bed, and did a couple turns and plopped right in between mike and I on the pillows. I think he's diggin the new home

 

He's not as much of a barker as Boo, and he is SO MUCH CALMER than Boo! Yesterday he met 3 new people at the house, and each person he greeted so politely and sweetly. He didn't make a huge ruckus like Boo does. You always know when someone's here because Boo gets insanely excited.

 

I've got an appointment scheduled with the vet to do the obligatory adopt-from-shelter-vet-check, and i get a $250 free for going there, so I'm hoping they can tell me a little more about the skin allergy and what to do for more immediate itch relief.

 

You can see hairs growing back on his legs where the patches are, but its really dry. He looks older than 5 because you can see his skin and it looks like shriveled old dog skin. His teeth are in good condition, so if he was over 5, he has the best dog teeth genes on the planet. From looking at the rest of him, he's had very little/ if any care of any kind for quite awhile, but his teeth don't look like a homeless dog's teeth. They've either been pro-cleaned a few times or he just lucky enough to have really mild calculus.

 

Which brings me back to why on earth this dog was not claimed after he had been found wandering around a pretty busy intersection literally 4 blocks away from the humane society. He didn't have a microchip either, but he does now!

[hheldorfer]

I'm getting anxious too!  [Taps foot; looks at clock . . .] 

 

Just as I posted this I saw the update.  Woo-hoo!  Welcome home, Mojo!  Love the pics and it's great to hear everything is going well!

Edited November 20, 2014 by hheldorfer

[pkcrossley]

look like it is going brilliantly. there may be adjustments later (due either to boo or mojo), but it seems you are on very solid ground.

[shergry]

Looking good!!!  Just a suggestion:  we use Chlorhexidine 4% + PS Shampoo on our Autoimmune girl.  Used once a week for skin and help with hair growth.  It does not smell to bad.  It bothers me more that she gets a bath so often, Cairns are a breed that you should not bath much at all.

You can get this off Amazon...don't need much, shampoo, on 10 minutes and then rinse.  The reason, possibly, for the hair loss is not only the fleas and itching...but could have a infection on the skin.  We also have to given meds for vasculitis...this is what happened to our girl once she had allergies crank up.  She lost her hair and some weight.

Also, if you want a spray that helps immediately ChloraSeb...also off Amazon...help relieve some itching, and possible infection.

Our, Sulley, the one I have been mentioning is also a rescue.  We thought, like you, WOW a silent Cairn.  Ha, ha, ha, within about a month she was making the most wonderful bark/howl we had ever heard.  None of my other Cairns ever howled...it is music.  Ha, ha,

To help with the skin looking wrinkly and old...you might add vitamin E (400 IU) once a day to his meals.  You just prick with a knife and squeeze onto food and mix in.

I think you and your fiance are just wonderful, wonderful people.  So glad Mojo has found a GREAT home!  May you ALL have many, many more wonderful days!

[Malcolm's Dad]

This is great news!

 

 

So far he will not be left outside for any amount of time on his own. Boo likes to go out back and chase the birds. Mojo, however, will go out the door and turn and watch me, if I am not coming through too, he will come right back inside.

 

He knows he's got a good loving person to be with. Mojo does not want to separated from you.

 

This sure warms up a cold shivering day today. Malcolm is getting some extra cuddles to celebrate Mojo's and your good luck.

[Sam I Am]

I love it! So happy the little guy has a loving home and that Boo is being such a good boy. Love, food, a good vet and a wonderful owner will see their boy hairy again. And no doubt he has it all. Big hug to you and your family for taking in this wee boy.

[Rawrkats]

Again, I would make an appointment with a specialist/dermatologist that is not affiliated with the shelter. Allergies get worse with age, not better. Benadryl and baths only help a little, steroids are a temporary fix and have horrid side effects (later). Food allergies are not as common as environmental allergies. I changed the diet several different ways...for example, I thought chicken made her itchy so I cut it out...a month later I served it and it agreed with her!I've been through it and I hate to see anyone else waste their time and money with ineffective treatments. I got incorrect information from the regular vet.But I am glad that things are working out, you really do know if it is a fit or not in the first 72 hours...most of the time.Best of luckPS: "Mondays are the bath day but last night we couldn't fall asleep due to his licking/chewing".This indicates to me that the dog is suffering.

I've called a local pet dermatologist who actually offered pro Bono work, the catch is she is out because of a surgery and won't be able to work for a few more weeks. I'm impatiently waiting for her to get in so I can let her take a look at mojo.

I've read that topical apple cider vinegar is a cheap way to relieve the itch. I feel that the itchies are torture for him, so I want to do anything I can. Creams, soaks, rubs, whatever it takes so he can feel some peace. I'm home all day so I can keep an eye on his comfort. The Internet has a hundred different remedies and I even read one that told me to feed him garlic. Lol. So, I'm not doing anything that hasn't been cleared by several people. I was a little afraid to do the oatmeal bath in case he's allergic to oatmeal, but he seemed so miserable last night. I stayed up with him until he fell asleep. Took about half an hour after the bath for him to stop wanting to lick and chew. I'm not sure I left the oatmeal shampoo on long enough though to make much difference. I'm a little nervous about bathing him so often since cairns don't actually require baths much at all, and doing so can also cause severe skin issues.

Thanks for all the kinds words and also suggestions for trying to handle his condition.

I am confident we will figure it out and get him to 100%.

At the time of this post, mojo is so soundly asleep he's having doggie dreams. His little legs are twitching and he's huffing and puffing.

[hheldorfer]

My two cents regarding the itching/allergies/hair loss: 

 

First, I think your temporary treatment with benadryl and the oatmeal shampoo is fine, at least until you can get Mojo to the vet for a closer inspection.  Keep in mind that regular shampoos - even using very gentle soaps - can dry the skin too and may lead to the maddening cycle of itchiness - shampoo - dry skin - more irritation - more itchiness - more shampoo. 

 

Second, see what the vet thinks about Mojo's condition.  Although everyone seems to think his skin problems are caused by allergies, my guess is that nobody knows for sure.  And if an allergy is the source of the problem there is still the question of whether it is food, seasonal, environmental, etc..  Personally, I have no qualms about using steroids on a very limited basis for the purpose of giving a dog relief from the itching and allowing his irritated skin to heal.  Both Buffy (my Cairn) and Ziggy (Silky Tzu) have had itching problems from time to time and each of them seemed to benefit from short-term steroid use.  (One note, however:  A steroid injection (moreso than pills) can make a dog hyperactive.  We found this out the hard way with Buffy.)

 

When faced with an "unknown" like Mojo's skin issues I have found it best to take a common-sense approach.  You will eventually find the cause (or at least a treatment regimen that works).  In the meantime focus on loving the little guy and keeping him as comfortable as you can. 

 

Again, it is fantastic that you adopted him and that things are A-OK so far!

 

Addendum:  Once again I was behind in the discussion.  Sounds like you are on top of the situation and doing quite well!

Edited November 20, 2014 by hheldorfer

[Sam I Am]

Nutrascan.org

Have a look... It's Dr Jean Dodds web site. It did wonder for our Scottie after we found out the foods that she had an intolerance for, her coat totally changed from flaky to silky and shiny after we stopped feeding her foods that she reacted to. Totally none invasive because the sample they test is saliva.

[Hillscreek]

Happy,   happy,   happy,  for you and Boo and family. So great you can can for Mojo and give him the home he needs.

[oscar's mom]

Congratulations Mojo is home.  Have you tried baking soda bathes for the itches?  I'm a pediatric nurse and it is recommended for rashes and itches to sooth the skin.  Maybe less harsh the the oatmeal, but it does make the hair softer.  

When my Oscar had the itches I always used baking soda and vinegar bathes.  

[Sam I Am]

Just read your web site. What a wonderful picture. The two of them lying wide by side. Very very sweet. I hope you can get to the bottom of his skin issues. I would definitely seek out a good veterinarian that practices both western and eastern medicine. They have helped all our animals lead healthier and happier lives.