Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Teenage Years

According to the dog age chart we got our first vet visit, Sammy, now 15 months is 16 years old in human years. Boy is that easy to tell! I mean, Sammy isn't driving or needing a tux for prom, but he is getting yucky pimples and wooing girl dogs!

Sammy has been plagued with dog acne. I didn't know they had it either! Apparently it is most common in big dogs, but Sammy is just lucky enough to be an exception. They are disgusting! From what I understand, it can be a phase for younger dogs while their hormones settle between puppy and adult dogs. I'm hoping it will be a short phase. There isn't much we can do. We need to keep it clean and if it proves to start to be irritating (itchy or sore) we can get him an aloe vera skin lotion/gel to soothe it. I have pictures on here, they look awful, so BEWARE!! He doesn't seem bothered by it too much. When we first noticed it, there were quite a few little ones, and now there are just 3 big ones. The one popped, which concerned us quite a bit, so now we are using medicated wipes to clean it.

Has anyone else's dog had acne? I've never had a dog with acne, at least that we knew of.

On a much cuter, happier note, today Sammy seemed to like a girl dog at the dogpark today! Omaha has been lucky enough to have some mild temperatures lately. Starting today we are starting a warm, above 90 degree, high humidity streak for the forseeable weather. I had today off, so since we were unable to go swimming (rainy) yesterday, I made it up to him by going to the dogpark this morning before if got too warm. When we got there, there were only two dogs in the all dog side. So we gave it a shot. Sammy had fun running with them, but once they wanted to play, they were a little too much for him. We were going to go for a nice long walk instead, when on our way out, we saw two dogs in the small dog side. Both Italian Greyhounds. Sammy loves all greyhounds. They love to run, and Sammy loves to chase and herd. They are gentle and can calm down easily. Perfect combo. Immediately he ran right for them. He chased them a bit, then all three ran back to the picnic table where we were sitting with the greyhounds' owner. Two other dogs entered and we thought it was strange as can be that Sammy didn't feel the urge to go and introduce himself and greet them. He usually MUST greet every dog and person to come through the gate. As well as when he first comes in, he must make the rounds to each dog and person and introduce himself then, too. He's so silly.
After a couple minutes, we noticed Sammy wasn't so much infatuated by the greyhounds as much as by the one, girl greyhound! He licked her face and stood right next to her. If she went to see her owner, Sammy sat right next to her while she got attention. If she came to get lots of petting from me, he was not jealous, totally fine sharing attention with her. If she took off to get water, or run with her "brother," or see a different dog, he ran with her. When they would stand, he stood right next to her. We have never seen him act this attached to another dog in this way. He has followed older dogs in his puppy days, as well and stand guard to puppies and dogs way smaller than him, but this was more of an equal partnership between them. AND, she didn't seem to mind at all! When talking to the owner, we were very sad to learn that they don't live here in Omaha. Apparently she is preparing to move to Omaha, and was up seeking job opportunities. Hopefully they will be able to meet again someday, because it was just so darn cute! When it came time to leave, he was absolutely exhausted, but he was unhappy at the prospect of leaving! As we walked out, he looked back every few steps. I think my baby is lovesick! :(
We shared ice cream this afternoon! He is just getting so grown up!!

9 comments:

  1. i didnt know dogs could get acne :( im sorry sammy has it i hope it goes away very soon.

    and thats too cute that he liked her :) he's growing up so fast!! butterball takes no interest in girl dogs yet.

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  2. Wow, I have never heard of dog acne!! I hope it clears up for him soon :)

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  3. What a wonderful family portrait ("our family") !
    Sammy is adorable, I'm so glad to find blogs with Corgis !!!

    Best regards from Flo, Nana, and Uyanga.

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  4. I have heard of dog acne, but haven't actually experienced it with any of my dogs. I hope it heals up soon!!

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  5. Who knew dogs got acne! I had no idea. But I have actually seen a couple of red bumps around Stanley's mouth from time to time. They never seem to bother him so I didn't concern myself with them but now I'm wondering if they were pimples!

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  6. i know!! doggie acne is just a crazy idea to me!! there's quite a few things on the internet, too, i have realized. not too much, but some bits and pieces here and there. it's supposed to be more common in large dogs with short hair around the face. german shepards was among the list of usual suspects, and i have read that was one theory of early lineage of the corgi, so maybe that's why. who knows. i just hope it is just a phase. his couple have probably swelled up so much from all of our activities: dogparks, hikes, swimming, fishing, chasing kitty-cats, etc. he likes to keep his head low and follow a trail! you would think there was terrier or bloodhound in him for the way he keeps his nose to the ground! haha. cleaning it bothers him a little, but not much. we are supposed to use warmer water to open the pores and get gunk out, and i don't think he likes that. but otherwise, he is all but unaffected by them! what a cute little trooper!

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  7. hmm ive never heard of dog acne!! i hope it passes too... boy do i remember the terrible days back in the teens.. hahaha!!! anyways, im glad sammy met a girl doggy he likes at the park.

    it is sad. i cannot remember when bailey was sammys age :**********( they grow up so fast!!!!

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  8. Sometimes plastic water/food dishes can cause these kind of acne-like bumps. I had to change dishes with my corgi to stop the bumps altogether. Just something to consider.

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  9. Karen- they grow up waaay too fast! why do they do that to us. We were just playing with his toy, and I was teasing him like when he was baby, and he used to run underneath my knees, and he can't even fit anymore! It made me sooo sad! :(

    Tori- really? That is something we are gonna HAFTA try! Sammy has a porcelian water bowl (I think, it's a cafepress bowl) and a metal travel water bottle, but he does have a plastic bowl for food still. So it could be the source of his troubles! Thanks for letting us know!!

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