Please, Please help me!

[Carrie and Chance]

I bought my F1B Goldendoodle two months ago.  Not only have we had digestive issues from day one but he looks like a Golden Retriever with very little poodle and he sheds like crazy!  Please, take me serious when I say, "like crazy".  My daughter's allergies are going crazy and we have to take him back to the breeder.  My concern is that we have already put $300.00 extra on top of the purchase price in two months on this precious dog to get his stomach issues resolved and I'm scared the breeder will not give him the proper food (Life's Abundance) and take his issues seriously.  What are the chances of finding someone to buy him that will take care of him and not mind his shedding? He's our little man and letting him so is breaking our heart,  My little girls have cried everyday along with myself.  He is such a good dog and the smartest I've ever seen.   I only paid $650.00 for the dog and she is offering me another from her next liter because of the trouble we've had with our doddle.  I just don't know what to do.  I lost my job last week so we ca';t afford to pay more than the $650.00 for another doddle.  I know I sound like a sad case and I'm sorry for that but I'm very desperate for some advice.

 

 

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Carrie, I don't have much insight to offer, but I do know how challenging and sad this situation is. When I was born, my parents had a chihuahua/terrier mix dog and a Siamese cat. When my eyes swelled closed after the cat came close to me, they found a new home for the cat. Tippy, the dog, stayed until he pulled down my mother's living room curtains!

Throughout my life, I have had allergies to all animals with fur, but I grew up with many dogs--two dachshunds, four poodles, an Irish setter, a Sheltie, a cockapoo, and a peke-a-poo--over the years. We had a fenced-in yard, and the dogs (except the poodles, which I wasn't allergic to) stayed outside much of the day. They came in at night or when the weather was bad, but only in non-carpeted parts of the house. I also learned to wash my hands and arms, with soap and water, every time I played with or touched them; sometimes I had to shower and wash my hair after playing with them. I guess I am offering this as an encouragement that, if your family decides to keep the dog, there may be ways to minimize the effects of the allergies.

Regarding the food, there is a Tractor Supply in Harrisonburg, VA, that says they carry Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe for puppies. They show the price as $28.99 for a 15-pound bag. If this fits your budget, this could be a very good option for feeding the puppy.

I am so sorry you and your little girls are having to go through this. I hope everything works out for the best, for your family and for the puppy.

[Carrie and Chance]

Thank you Elizabeth!!  I'm sorry you had such a hard time with your allergies.  Gosh, that had to stink.  I hope my daughter is not allergic to dogs because she is a dog lover.  She shows this dog more attention that the rest of us put together.  She worries him so much that he hides from her sometimes......LOL  I will check intot he other dog food options as well.  For the moment, my vet said to leave him on Lifes Abundance at least until we solve the stomach issues.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

I was a serious dog lover, too! That's why my parents let me have dogs despite the allergies. We made it work, and it really wasn't too much of a burden--especially when balanced against the love of wonderful dogs!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

What a difficult situation.  I am so sorry you and your family are in this predicament.  Goldens do shed continuously and with vigor.  We had a golden and she did aggravate my husband's allergies.  If you must give him up returning him to the breeder is the best alternative.  Are you positive it is the dog and maybe not just your stressful situation that are flaring your daughter's allergies.  I only say this, because my daughter has a lot of non food allergies, (cats, any kind of insect sting or bite, mold, mildew) which are about 100 times worse when she is under stress from life's downs.

 

Please wait to get another dog untill your finances are stable, I know that seems hard, but you don't want to have to give up a second dog.  Pehaps when you can afford it you could have her tested for an allergic reaction to dogs. 

There are non shedding breeds, but no dog is completely non shedding.  The non shedding breeds loose some small amount of hair like we do and they require frequent haircuts and grooming to prevent turning into one big mat.  Just think what your hair would look like if you never combed or brushed it. 

 

There are also several breeds that are more allergy friendly, but very sensitive people may still experience some reaction. Poodles, airdales, some terriers, oddly Siberian Huskies, and multi generation Australian labradoodles are among the dogs less apt to cause severe allergic reactions. 

 

A good breeder will let you "test" your daughter by sending big wads of hair from their dogs, )also they will even send spit (yuck) to smear on her skin) for your daughter to handle, snuggle,etc and often will let you visit with her when there are no puppies to play with one or more of their dogs.  Even a visit to their indoor home which will no doubt be covered in "dog" (smell, spit, dander, fur) can be useful to avoid further heartbreak.

 

May good fortune find your door very soon.  You have had enough difficulties  for awhile.

[Carrie and Chance]

My husband and I were able to work an arrangement out with my mom.  Since my mom has a huge fenced in yard with a ton of shade, she is going to let Chance stay with her during the day and I'll bring him home at night.  My mom lives right down the road. I'm also meeting with a "doddle expert" (that's what she is called in my area) and get some advice on his dry skin and brittle coat. The vet has put him back on Metolazone for the giardia.  The breeder is sending me my money back and willing to let us keep him.  This will give us some cushion to do farther testing and get to the bottom of his issues.  The only reason the breeder did this is because she found out I had been reaching out to people and was willing to make this a legal matter if I needed too.  She knew she was in the wrong.  Any advice on something to help with his dry skin/coat?  Thank you all for your concern.  If Chance could read, I'd let him see how many people cared!  LOL

[F, Calla & Luca]

That sounds like a happier ending possibly. But I hope you are not thinking you can have a young puppy like this outside, unsupervised all day. The pup could get into all kinds of difficulties.

A lot of us use Evening Primrose Oil for dry or itchy skin. I don't know what dose to recommend for such a young pup. I guess I would start at the lowest dose available and give one capsule. Calla, who is 63 pounds takes 1500 mg now. I get it from Puritan's Pride online.

[Carrie and Chance]

My mother is home all day and works in her flower beds non-stop.  It's her obession. She also has a deck that is closed in for her dog and it's huge.  She has a doggy toy box on the deck for them and they play really well together.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That sounds good then.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

And I am going to mention that I took this advice from F and Daisy's coat is so much softer...though she was not itchy or dry to begin with I wanted what was best for her....Evening Primrose Oil is VERY inexpensive, though being unemployed I can understand that every penny counts.

[Willow and J]

Yay! I'm so happy that you could work this out. 

As for the dry skin/coat, Willow suffers from it too, so it's a working project for us, but it seems like most of our doodles have the same issue. 

One thing that made difference for us was changing shampoo. We used Tropiclean (puppy shampoo and Oatmeal formula), and many people like it. However, Willow stopped scratching after bath when we switched  to Canus Goat Milk dog shampoo bar. It's easier to rub her belly with a soap bar, too, and this one lathers and rinses very well. While we like Canus, we also tried Buddy Bath dog shampoo + conditioner (2 in 1) for the first time last week, this one gave softer coat because of the built in conditioner. And Willow didn't scratch after this one too. (But Willow still scratches from allergy, perhaps something in the soil or dust mite. We recently started giving her anti-histamines for this, and are trying several different kinds to find out which one works the best for her.) 

It'd be trial and error for a while with a puppy, with food, medication, shampoo, kind of harness / collar, crates, etc. etc. etc., but that can be part of fun. Hope you enjoy Chance's baby stage better now. 

[Carrie and Chance]

I read we should only bath them twice a month but is there anything we can buy to just moisturize them when getting them wet?  Sometimes he just stinks and plain water don't cut it...LOL

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm very relieved that this guy isn't going back to the "breeder".  You may want to try brushing Chance really well outside at your Mom's each evening before bringing him into your house and wiping down his feet.  The EPO is a great idea for his coat....I've also used salmon oil which keeps my Doods' coats from becoming dry.  I hope everything turns out well for Chance and your family.